IIOJK court defers hearing in Doda MLA Meraj Malik’s PSA case to Jan 29
Jammu: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the High Court has deferred the hearing of the draconian Public Safety Act case of jailed legislator Meraj Malik, further prolonging his detention under the draconian law.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the case, relating to the habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of Doda MLA Meraj Malik under the PSA, was listed for hearing on Saturday. However, the High Court adjourned the proceedings and on the pretext of court holidays and fixed January 29, 2026, as the next date of hearing. The authorities claim that Malik allegedly used abusive language against Doda Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh and other government officials.
Legal observers and rights activists say that repeated adjournments and procedural delays have become a familiar tactic employed by the Indian authorities to prolong the incarceration of political leaders and dissenting voices in the occupied territory. They argue that such delays defeat the very purpose of habeas corpus petitions and amount to denial of justice, particularly in cases involving the controversial PSA, which allows detention without trial for extended periods.
They maintain that the continued use of delaying tactics by courts and the occupation administration reflects a pattern of repression, where the legal process itself is used as a tool to silence political opposition and suppress pro-people voices in the occupied territory.
