New Delhi: The centre informed the Supreme Court on Monday that Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association President, Mian Abdul Qayoom, will be released on August 6 when his detention expires.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul that Qayoom's current detention under the Jammu and Kashmir PSA was due to expire on August 6 and the government would not extend it.
The three-judge bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul was hearing a petition challenging Qayoom's detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) since August last year when Article 370 was abrogated.
The government said that he won't be detained post the expiry of his detention period.
Senior Advocates Dushyant Dave and Vrinda Grover appearing for Qayoom argued before the judges that he should be released as every day of illegal detention of the petitioner is unconstitutional curtailment of his liberty.
Adding on further, Dave said that the government had no power to extend the detention.
The SC bench asked SG to seek instructions on whether the government is willing to release Qayoom on bail till August 6, post-which his detention will expire.
The matter will be heard again on 29th July.
On July 23, Mehta informed the Supreme Court that the issue of the detention of Qayoom, is under consideration and soon it will have a reply from the concerned authorities.
In June earlier this year, SC had issued notice to J-K government and sought its response over the plea. SC had also directed the jail authorities to provide clothes and other essential things to Qayoom.
Qayoom has been in detention since last year August when the Centre modified Article 370. According to him, he is under detention for FIRs registered back in 2008 and 2010 for which he was never arrested or charge-sheeted back then. He was detained once in 2010 but then released. He also claims that there was no prior intimation before his arrest.
Also read:Issue regarding detention of J&K Advocate Qayoom is under consideration: Centre informs SC
