IIOJK court denies bail to ailing ex-Bar President Mian Qayoom
Jammu: A special court in Jammu has rejected the medical bail plea of former President of the High Court Bar Association of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Mian Abdul Qayoom, despite his deteriorating health and advanced age.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Qayoom, 77, currently lodged in District Jail Jammu, had sought bail on humanitarian grounds citing multiple ailments, including diabetes, hypertension, cardiac complications, and a single kidney, besides the implantation of a permanent pacemaker in November 2024.
His counsel argued that continued incarceration under such conditions posed a grave threat to his life and was in violation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and proper medical treatment.
However, prosecutors representing the State Investigation Agency opposed the plea. The court, presided over by Judge Madan Lal, dismissed the plea, holding that releasing him could “jeopardize the trial” under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Mian Abdul Qayoom, a respected jurist and human rights defender, has long been targeted for his political views. He was implicated in the killing of Advocate Babar Qadri in 2020, a charge widely seen by rights groups as part of New Delhi’s pattern of using fabricated cases to silence Kashmiri voices.
Legal experts have stressed that continued imprisonment of an elderly and ailing lawyer raises serious questions over the denial of basic human rights under Indian custody. Observers say the case reflects India’s wider use of harsh laws and politically motivated prosecutions to suppress dissent in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
