J&K High Court orders release of 7 Public Safety Act detenues

Srinagar, Dec 13 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has quashed the detention orders of seven persons, including a sub-inspector of police, detained under Public Safety Act (PSA).

The court directed the authorities to release the detenues immediately if they were not sought in any other case.

The release orders were passed by the court after hearing arguments of the defence counsels and prosecutors.

The Sub-Inspector (SI) Abdul Ahad Rather was booked under PSA for his alleged involvement in attacking the assassinated National Conference (NC) leader and then Home Minister Mushtaq Ahamd Lone during a public meeting in the frontier district of Kupwara. Lone was killed by unidentified gunmen during a public meeting a month before 2002 Assembly elections.

The court said the prosecution failed to prove that Lone was involved in the attack.

The others whose detention was quashed by the court included Manzoor Ahmad, Mohammad Imran, Fayaz Ahmad Lone, Abdul Rashid Khan and Hilal Ahmad Chopan. They were arrested for their alleged involvement in militancy related incidents by different security agencies in the Kashmir valley.

UNI