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Srinagar, Jan 30 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir High Court (HC) has pulled up five District Magistrates(DMs) and imposed a fine on them for failing to provide information to the court about the Public Safety Act (PSA) detenues, languishing in different jails in and outside the State for years.

Taking a dim view of DMs failure to obey the court orders on habeas corpus cases pending for the past one decade, Justice B A Kirmani held them responsible for undue delay.

The DM's had failed to reply to the court orders even after repeated reminders. Even the public prosecutors also did not attend the court proceedings regularly, thus causing unnecessary delay which is regarded as an insult to the fundamental rights reserved for the citizens under the Constitution.

Justice Kirmani has imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on DMs and directed them to explain the reasons for not responding to the court directives.

The court also directed them to furnish details about the detenues languishing in jails for more than five years without any trail.

UNI BAS DS DB1341