HC quashes Kashmir scribe’s detention under PSA

Sultan was arrested in August 2018 from his residence in Batamaloo in connection with a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and is the third journalist from the Valley to get relief from the court in the past one month

The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh high court has quashed the preventive detention order of Kashmir journalist Asif Sultan, who has been in jail for the past five years, and ordered for his release.

After being granted bail by a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in 2022, he was immediately arrested under the Public Safety Act, which allows jailing an individual without trial for up to two years (iStock)

Sultan was arrested in August 2018 from his residence in Batamaloo in connection with a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and is the third journalist from the Valley to get relief from the court in the past one month.

After being granted bail by a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in 2022, he was immediately arrested under the Public Safety Act, which allows jailing an individual without trial for up to two years.

The court noted that Sultan was not offered the FIR and statements recorded under section 161 of the CrPC, on the basis of which he was detained.

“The detention record does not indicate that copies of first information reports, statements recorded under Section 161 of the Cr PC and other material collected in connection with investigation of the case was ever supplied to the detenu, on the basis which impugned detention order has been passed,” said the order by justice Vinod Chatterji Koul pronounced last week.

During detention, he was awarded the annual John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award by the National Press Club of America in 2019.

In 2018, he was booked under the UAPA and relevant sections of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC).

On November 22, Kashmir journalist and editor of The Kashmir Walla magazine Fahad Shah released after being granted bail the J&K high court, after 21 months of being incarcerated in a case under UAPA.

Earlier, the HC had quashed the PSA detention order of Kashmir journalist Sajad Gul under Public Safety Act.