Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president, Farooq Abdullah, and vice president Omar Abdullah Monday moved the High Court challenging “unconstitutional and illegal house detention” of 16 senior party leaders and functionaries since August 5 last year, the day the Centre announced withdrawal of the erstwhile state's special status.
Farooq Abdullah, a former chief minister, has filed the petition for the release of Ali Mohammad Sagar, Abdul Rahim Rather, Nasir Aslam Wani, Aga Syed Mehmood, Mohammad Khalil Bandh, Irfan Shah, and Sahmeema Firdous. His son Omar Abdullah, who is also a former chief minister, is challenging the detention of Mohammad Shafi Uri, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Chaudhary Mohammad Ramzaan, Mubarak Gul, Dr Bashir Veeri, Abdul Majeed Larmi, Basharat Bukhari, Saifudin Bhat Shutru, and Mohammad Shafi.
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“The decision to move the court has been taken as a last resort to provide relief to various party members who have continuously been under house arrest or were kept under house detention after being shifted there from detention centers,” the party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said.
“Shifting of the detainees from detention centers to their homes only characterized revolving-door detention practice. Quashing of the PSA on party general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar underscored the indefensible nature of all detentions in the court of law, leading us to believe that the administration will release all the detainees in the absence of any convincing reason behind it. Unfortunately that was not to be. The house detentions without any administrative orders are unlawful, undermining due respect to human rights and individual liberty,” he said.
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The petitions were filed on behalf of the two leaders by senior lawyer Shariq Reyaz.
The spokesperson said the legal system will come to the rescue of their colleagues, who have been suffering for no fault ever since the abrogation of provisions of Article 370, Article 35 A of the Constitution on August 5, 2019.
(With PTI Inputs)
