The J&K High Court on Wednesday, while quashing the detention order against journalist Majid Hyderi, an independent journalist and television debater, strongly criticised the government for the “cavalier and casual exercise” of power under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA).
Nullifying the PSA order that had kept Hyderi detained for 17 months, Justice V.K. Chatterjee ruled that vague and non-specific grounds of detention violate fundamental rights and render the detention orders unsustainable.
The quashing of the detention of the 43-year-old journalist from Milat Abad, Peerbagh, Srinagar, marks the end of a prolonged legal battle.
He was initially arrested in September 2023 on charges of extortion and defamation.
Despite being granted bail, he was later booked under the PSA via Detention Order No. DMS/PSA/65/2023, issued by the District Magistrate, Srinagar, on September 16, 2023.
The order, based on a police dossier, accused Hyderi of activities prejudicial to public order. He was subsequently taken into custody and lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
