Jammu: The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has scheduled the final hearing of a plea filed by detained Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Mehraj Malik for November 20, a party spokesperson said on Friday.
Malik, who also serves as the AAP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit president, was detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) on September 8 for allegedly disturbing public order and is currently lodged in Kathua Jail. On September 24, he filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention and seeking ₹5 crore in compensation.
According to AAP spokesperson Appu Singh Slathia, Malik’s petition was heard by Justice Rajneesh Oswal at the Jammu wing of the High Court. During the hearing, Malik’s legal team strongly objected to the government’s delay in filing its reply, saying the “lackadaisical approach” has resulted in an elected MLA remaining behind bars while his constituents continue to suffer.
Slathia, who is part of Malik’s legal team along with Senior Advocate Rahul Pant and Advocates S. S. Ahmed, M. Tariq Mughal, and M. Zulkarnain Chowdhary, said government counsels Senior AAG Monika Kohli and Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi informed the court that their replies had been filed on Thursday but were not yet on record due to a defect in the affidavit.
Copies of the government’s reply were served to Malik’s counsel in open court, Slathia added.
The court has directed the registry to place the government’s reply on record and instructed the state counsel to produce the relevant documents on the next date of hearing.
“The case has now been listed for final consideration on November 20,” the AAP spokesperson said.
