The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court on Monday quashed the preventive detention of Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act, stating that the grounds for invoking the stringent law were not tenable.
Malik, the MLA from Doda, had been detained on September 8, 2025, over allegations linked to public order. He was first lodged in Bhaderwah jail and later shifted to Kathua district jail.
The legislator had moved the High Court through a habeas corpus petition, arguing that the detention was arbitrary and violated his legal rights.
A division bench, after hearing the case, set aside the detention order, clearing the way for his release from preventive custody.
The matter had drawn significant attention as it involved the detention of a sitting MLA under the PSA in the Union Territory.
