New Delhi: Under the Public Safety Act, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and leader of the National Conference Farooq Abdullah was arrested. Today, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Center on a plea for Abdullah's imprisonment.
The PSA permits imprisonment without trial for up to two years.On the eve of the hearing of MDMK leader Vaiko's habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court, the decision to slap the PSA on the NC leader fell where the lack of any documents justifying the detention would have been a significant embarrassment for the Centre. Though Farooq Abdullah has been under house arrest since August 5, Union home minister Amit Shah had claimed in parliament on August 6 that the NC leader was missing the session of his own volition. This claim, however, was rebutted by none other than the Jammu and Kashmir high court, albeit indirectly, when it allowed two NC leaders to visit Abdullah in his home.
A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer issued notice to the Centre and the state, and fixed Rajya Sabha MP and MDMK leader Vaiko's plea for hearing on September 30.
