IIOJK HC quashes illegal detention of Adv Muhammad Ashraf Bhat
Srinagar: The High Court in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) has quashed the illegal detention of senior advocate Muhammad Ashraf Bhat, ruling that the allegations against the prominent lawyer were vague and lacked substantial evidence.
According to Kashmir Media Service, 71-year-old advocate Muhammad Ashraf Bhat, a former General Secretary of the IIOJK High Court Bar Association (HCBA), was detained under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) last year. The court has ordered his immediate release.
Justice Rahul Bharti of the IIOJK High Court held that the decision to place Bhat under preventive detention was seriously flawed. The court observed significant procedural irregularities and concealment of material facts by the authorities.
The Court directed Bhat’s immediate release from Kathua jail, where he had been detained under the PSA.
Bhat was arrested in July last year from his residence in Srinagar. The petition challenging his detention stated that it was baseless and politically motivated, causing severe harm to his reputation and professional career. Notably, Advocate Bhat was also detained under the PSA in 2019 following the unlawful revocation of Article 370 and later released.
