The Supreme Court on Monday, 2 March, said it would hear on 5 March a plea filed by Sara Abdullah Pilot challenging the detention of her brother and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta filed the response on behalf of the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Pilot's plea before a bench of justices Arun Mishra and Indira Banerjee, reported PTI.
Attorney General KK Venugopal referred to an earlier apex court verdict and said that in a matter of detention, the petitioner should first approach the high court.
‘Manifestly Illegal’
The bench, while posting the matter for hearing on Thursday, said that the petitioner can file a rejoinder, if any, on the response filed by the Jammu and Kashmir administration.
Pilot has approached the top court challenging her brother’s detention under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, saying the order was “manifestly illegal” and there was no question of him being a “threat to the maintenance of public order.”
Abdullah's “considerable influence” over people, including the ability to attract voters to polling booths despite poll boycott calls and the potential for channeling energies of public for any cause, has allegedly been cited in support of his detention under the stringent PSA.
The grounds also mention his comments on social networking sites to instigate common people against the decisions on Articles 370 and 35-A which had the potential of disturbing public order.
However, the police have neither mentioned any of Omar’s social media posts in the dossier nor in the order for grounds of his detention.
(With inputs from PTI)
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