The Jammu and Kashmir government has slapped the Public Safety Act against Hurriyat leader Masarat Alam and shifted him to a prison in Jammu.
“We went to meet him today in the lock up and we were told that he had been shifted to Kot Balwal Jail in Jammu,” a leader of Mr. Alam’s party told The Hindu.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate in Budgam on Wednesday reserved the court’s decision to decide on Mr. Alam’s bail plea after the prosecution sought time to furnish laws and court judgements to support their arguments against his release.
Mr. Alam’s lawyer, Shabir Ahmad, confirmed that the State government had invoked the preventive detention law against his client.
“They did not book him under PSA for a week but when the government felt that they don’t have a strong enough case for Alam to be denied bail, they went for the PSA,” Mr. Ahmad alleged.
Mr. Alam was arrested on April 17 after he took part in a rally where Pakistan flags were hoisted and pro-Pakistan slogans raised. The State government booked Mr. Alam under sections 147 (rioting), 341 (wrongful restraint), 336 (endangering life), 427 (damage to property), 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) and under 13 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Two sections, 121 (sedition) and 124 (A) (waging war against the state), were added later.
“We were sure that he would get a bail and the government has as usual gone for the draconian PSA to make sure the court’s judgement on Saturday is rendered irrelevant,” Mr. Ahmad said.
Mr. Alam will have to stay in jail till the PSA against him is not quashed by the J&K High Court.
He was released in March after a detention of four-and-a-half years under several cases invoking the PSA.
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