Advocate Nazir Ronga arrest case: High Court demands response from IIOJK administration
Srinagar: The High Court of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir has given the New Delhi-installed territory’s administration four weeks to respond to a plea challenging the preventive detention of senior Advocate Nazir Ahmad Ronga.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Justice Puneet Gupta scheduled the next hearing for November 20.
Nazir Ahmad Ronga was arrested during a raid at his home in Srinagar in July 2024, with the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) imposed without notifying his family. CCTV footage captured the police operation, and a detention order under the PSA was issued by the District Magistrate on July 10.
A habeas corpus petition has since been filed, seeking Ronga’s release and compensation of Rs 60 lakhs for illegal detention and torture. The petition, filed by advocate B.A. Khan, argues that the IIOJK authorities violated the Indian Supreme Court’s guidelines.
On September 11, a bench led by Justice Sanjay Dhar granted the occupation authorities three weeks to file their response, with the case then listed for October 11.
Advocate Ronga has served multiple terms as president of the High Court Bar Association (HCBA). He has been holding the position since 2020, following the prevention of annual HCBA elections by IIOJK authorities. The last elections took place in 2018 and were due in September 2019, but couldn’t be held because of abrogation of IIOJK’s special status and subsequent curfew.
His latest arrest occurred as the HCBA Election Committee attempted to finalize elections by July 31 this year, only to be blocked by the administration.
