SRINAGAR: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Mehraj Malik was released from Kathua jail on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, after the Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashed his detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA). The High Court had on Monday, April 27, 2026, set aside the PSA detention order after hearing a habeas corpus petition challenging his preventive detention. The court held that the detention order was legally unsustainable and based on a non-application of mind.
MLAs Release Follows Legal Challenge
Mehraj Malik, who also heads the AAP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit, was detained on September 8, 2025, under the PSA. The detention order was issued by the District Magistrate of Doda, citing allegations of activities prejudicial to public order and his alleged involvement in incidents of unlawful conduct and inflammatory remarks. Malik had been lodged in Kathua jail since his detention. He challenged the detention through a habeas corpus petition filed in the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The legal proceedings involved multiple hearings, with the court reserving its judgment on February 23, 2026, after the completion of arguments from both sides. In an 87-page order, the judge quashed the detention order and directed the respondents to release the petitioner forthwith.
Celebrations Mark Release
Following his release from Kathua jail, scores of people gathered outside the facility, shouting slogans in his favour, dancing to the beats of dholaks, and garlanding him with flowers. Upon his release, Malik stated that he would continue to raise and discuss the issues of the people. He expressed gratitude to the judiciary for delivering justice.
The detention of Mehraj Malik under the PSA had drawn criticism from various political figures and human rights organizations, who described it as an attack on democratic norms and a misuse of the stringent law. The PSA allows for detention without trial for extended periods, and its application to sitting legislators has been a point of contention.
Malik, representing the Doda East assembly constituency, is the sole MLA from the Aam Aadmi Party in Jammu and Kashmir. His arrest and subsequent detention had sparked protests and political controversy within the region.
The Chenab Times News Desk