Omar Abdullah’s Sister Moves SC Challenging His Detention

NEW DELHI: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah's sister Sara Abdullah Pilot on Monday moved the Supreme Court to challenge his detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

The Jammu & Kashmir administration on Thursday had booked four politicians, including National Conference’s Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti under the PSA. They completed six months in preventive detention on February 5.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioner, mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench headed by Justice N V Ramana.

Sibal told the bench that they have filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of Abdullah under the PSA and the matter should be heard this week.

The bench agreed for urgent listing of the matter.

The PSA which was brought into force during Omar Abdullah's grandfather Sheikh Abdullah's term in 1978 in order to prevent timber smuggling, enables detention without trial for upto two years.

Omar Abdullah arrested on August 5 remains in solitary confinement at the Hari Niwas palace, an infamous interrogation centre of 1990s that was turned into a sub-jail in August 2019.

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