The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has scheduled the next hearing in the habeas corpus petition filed by Doda MLA Mehraj Din Malik for February 5, 2026, with the case now listed for final hearing before a single bench.
High Court Advances Habeas Corpus Case of Doda MLA Mehraj Din Malik to Final Stage
The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has set February 5, 2026, as the date for the final hearing in the habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Doda, Mehraj Din Malik, under the Public Safety Act (PSA). The matter is being heard by Justice Rajesh Sekhri on the 1725 single bench.
According to details received by The Chenab Times, the case (CNR Number: JHKHC005733-2025), originally filed as a habeas corpus petition (HCP), was listed for final hearing following earlier adjournments. The petition was first taken up on September 24, 2025, shortly after Malik’s detention. The next hearing date has been fixed as February 5, 2026, with the stage marked as “for final hearing.” The petitioner is Mehraj Din Malik, son of Shamas Din, through advocate S S Ahmed.
Malik, the lone AAP legislator in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly representing the Doda constituency in the Chenab Valley region of Jammu division, was detained on September 8, 2025, under the stringent PSA by the District Magistrate of Doda. The grounds cited for the detention related to allegations of disturbing public order in the district. He has since been lodged in Kathua jail. The PSA allows for preventive detention without formal trial for up to two years in cases deemed to threaten public safety or order.
The habeas corpus petition challenges the legality of the detention order, with the petitioner seeking his release and, in some reports, compensation amounting to Rs 5 crore. Legal arguments in prior hearings have included submissions that the detention is illegal, untenable, and an overreach, with claims that the grounds were not proximate to any public threat but rather administrative in nature. The case has seen multiple listings and adjournments, including hearings in December 2025 where senior counsel presented extensive arguments before the matter was deferred due to court schedules and holidays.
This development comes amid ongoing judicial scrutiny of preventive detention cases in Jammu and Kashmir. The high court has previously directed authorities in related proceedings involving Malik to facilitate procedural rights, such as allowing him to cast a postal ballot in Rajya Sabha elections while detained. The single bench presided over by Justice Rajesh Sekhri is handling the matter, which remains part-heard pending final arguments and orders.
Malik, who won the Doda seat in the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, has been unable to participate in legislative proceedings due to his continued detention. His family, including father Shamas Din Malik, has publicly questioned the basis of the PSA invocation, describing it as wrongful. The AAP has maintained that the detention silences an elected representative’s voice.
The case continues to draw attention in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the Chenab Valley, where Doda district is located approximately 165 km from Jammu city. Residents in the region, often referred to as Chenabi, have followed the legal proceedings closely amid broader discussions on preventive detention laws and their application to political figures. The final hearing in February 2026 is expected to address the merits of the detention order and the court’s decision on the plea for release.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
