Abuse of power & retaliationDiscrimination & civil rightsCourts & justice
J&K High Court quashes Public Safety Act detention of MLA Mehraj Malik, finding the Doda deputy commissioner did not apply his mind
Confidence: Alleged · 2 sourcesJammu and Kashmir · Oct 12, 2026
Subject of this story
Harvinder Singh, Deputy Commissioner (District Magistrate), Doda
Doda District Administration
Also named
Oversight
High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh
Affected
Mehraj Malik, Member of the J&K Legislative Assembly (Doda), Aam Aadmi Party
What happened
The Doda district authorities detained Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act by an order dated 8 September 2025, citing 18 FIRs and 16 daily diary reports. On 27 April 2026 Justice Mohd Yousuf Wani of the J&K and Ladakh High Court quashed the order in an 87-page judgment, finding 'non-application of mind' by Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh and that the allegations fell under ordinary criminal law rather than 'public order'. Malik was released from Kathua jail on 28 April. The reports reviewed do not mention any consequence for the officials involved.
Sources (2)
thewire.in'The invocation of the provisions of the PSA to detain the petitioner rather than to pursue the prosecution against him appears to be an unjustified exercise amounting to violation of fundamental rights.'
newsarenaindia.comThe 87-page judgment noted the detention order was 'legally unsustainable and based on non-application of mind'; release on 28 April 2026.
Response
Harvinder Singh
Not yet contacted
Not yet contacted for this story.
Doda District Administration
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Not yet contacted for this story.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.