New Delhi: The wife of Jammu and Kashmir Congress leader Saifuddin Soz has moved the Supreme Court challenging his house arrest since August 5, 2019.
The plea filed by Mumtazunnisa Soz, spouse of the octogenarian Congress leader, said that despite the arrest having been made ten months ago she has not been told about the reasons for the move. The plea was filed through advocate Sunil Fernandes.
Mrs Soz stated that the congress politician's house arrest was an "unlawful and manifestly illegal exercise of powers" by the government which disregards the procedure established by the law. She further claimed that there is no material forming the ground of his detention and he has not indulged in any activity that may be given the colour of an offence under the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act,1978.
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"The constitution of India, under Article 22(5), provides that when any person is detained in pursuance of an order made under any law providing for preventive detention, the authority making the order shall, as soon as may be, communicate to such person the grounds on which the order has been made and shall afford him the earliest possible opportunity of making representation against the order," contends the petitioner.
Various political leaders including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were arrested and put under house detention in August last year.
The Centre had abrogated certain provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution granting special status Jammu and Kashmir and the detentions were made purportedly to ensure peace in the valley. (With inputs from PTI)
