Advocate Mian Muzaffar was detained on allegations that he was influenced by the secessionist ideologies of his uncle and senior lawyer, Mian Abdul Qayoom. The Court found the detention order to be vague and illusive.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday quashed the preventive detention of Advocate Mian Muzaffar, who was detained under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978 (PSA) in July last year on allegations of spreading secessionist ideologies [Mian Muzaffar V/s UT of Jammu and Kashmir].
The authorities had alleged that Muzaffar had been influenced by the secessionist ideologies of his uncle and senior lawyer, Mian Abdul Qayoom.
Qayoom, a former president of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Srinagar is presently in jail after being arrested on allegations that he had a role to play in the the 2020 murder of Advocate Babar Qadri. He was arrested in the case in June 2024.
Weeks later, Muzaffar was also arrested on the intervening night of July 13-14, 2024, although his family was not informed of the reasons why at the time of his arrest. It later came to light that he had been placed under preventive detention.
The authorities claimed that Muzaffar had become a hardcore secessionist under the influence of his uncle, Qayoom. The government also claimed that Muzaffar had engaged in anti-national activities such as conducting seminars alongside separatist leaders such as Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yasin Malik, to preach secessionist ideologies.
Muzaffar denied these allegations and challenged his preventive detention before the High Court, in a petition filed through his wife.
India: Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashes preventive detention of Advocate
