The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on Thursday deferred the hearing of the habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik from Doda under the Public Safety Act (PSA). The next hearing has been scheduled for December 27.
He was detained under the Public Safety Act after an altercation with district officials in September.
Official sources said that the court, after hearing arguments from one side, noted that defence counsel may present their arguments at the next hearing. The case is part of a series of final hearings that have witnessed multiple adjournments over the past few months.
Malik’s supporters and voters continue to wait anxiously for an outcome in the case, hoping the matter will move towards a meaningful conclusion in the next hearing.
The lone AAP MLA in the J&K Assembly is facing multiple cases, including 18 FIRs registered at various police stations in Doda district. The Doda district magistrate in the PSA dossier had described the MLA as a history sheeter trying to "assert himself as a self-styled leader".
In a majority of the cases, the common thread remains "irresponsible and offensive remarks" made by the MLA against district, health, and police officials.
Earlier, on November 20, a hearing took place in the court where the court scrutinised the grounds of detention of Mehraj Malik.
A day earlier, the hearing had been adjourned midway after a junior lawyer from Malik’s legal team collapsed in the courtroom, leading to a medical emergency and adjournment.
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