IN THE HIGH COURT OF JAMMU & KASHMIR AND LADAKH AT SRINAGAR
RAHUL BHARTI, J.
Musaib Ahmad Khan – Petitioners
Versus
Union Territory of J&K and others – Respondents
HCP No. 101 of 2025
Decided On : 04-03-2026
Advocates Appeared :
For the Petitioners : Mr. S.T. Hussain, Sr. Advocate with Ms. Nida Nazir, Advocate.
For the Respondents : Ms. Maha Majeed, learned Assisting counsel.
JUDGMENT :
RAHUL BHARTI, J.
1. Heard learned counsel for both sides.
2. The petitioner-Musaib Ahmad Khan came forward with the institution of present writ petition filed through his mother-Mubeena Begum thereby seeking indulgence of this Court to exercise writ jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India for quashing the preventive detention imposed upon the petitioner under the J&K Public Safety Act, 1978 by dint of an order passed by the respondent No.2- District Magistrate, Srinagar.
3. The preventive detention of the petitioner came to be ordered by the respondent No.2- District Magistrate, Srinagar, by virtue of an order No. DMS/PSA/13/2025 dated 29.04.2025 in terms whereof the petitioner came to be ordered to be detained in order to prevent him from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of the security of the State. The respondent No.2- District Magistrate Srinagar exercised jurisdiction under section-8 of the J&K Public Safety Act, 1978 to pass the preventive detention order against the petitioner.
4. The purported cause of action for the course of action at the end of the respondent No.2- District Magistrate, Srinagar to order preventive detention of the petitioner came into being when the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Srinagar, by virtue of his letter No. LGL/Det/2025/14046-49 dated 28.04.2025 had submitted a dossier with respect to the petitioner thereby projecting his alleged state of activities to be prejudicial to the security of the State warranting his preventive detention.
5. Taking cognizance of said dossier, the respondent No.2- District Magistrate, Srinagar formulated the grounds of detention mentioning therein that as per the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Srinagar’s reports, the petitioner is deeply influenced by radical ideology and being in contact with active terrorists and OGWs of TRF outfit for the purpose of providing logistic support in the course of which the petitioner is said to have rapidly motivated and worked for the TRF banned outfit sharing all the sensitive information regarding movement of Police and Security Forces in the area. The petitioner is alleged to have become a hard core fundamentalist and sympathizer of the terrorists.
6. The antecedents of the petitioner bearing negative overtones came to be drawn by reference to criminal cases attending the petitioner which being related to FIR No.89/2016 under sections 147, 148, 152, 307, and 336 RPC of Police Station, Batamaloo; FIR No.103/2016 under sections 147, 148, 336, and 332 of Police Station Batamaloo; and FIR No. 53/2022 under sections 13, 16, 18, IPC 121 and 121 A. of Police Station, Sadder.
7. The precipitating aspect against the petitioner came to be Beat reports dated 06.04.2025 and 07.04.2025
8. On the basis of the grounds of detention so formulated, the respondent No.2- District Magistrate Srinagar came to pass the Detention Order No. DMS/PSA/13/2025 dated 29.04.2025 directing arrest and detention of the petitioner in District Jail, Poonch.
9. Pursuant to the detention order so passed, the petitioner came to be taken into custody on 03.05.2025 from which date onwards the petitioner is serving his preventive detention custody which is meant to last for two years on account of approval/confirmation/extension order/s passed at the end of the Home Department, Government of UT of J&K.
10. The petitioner came forward with the challenge to his preventive detention within eleven days of his detention getting effected. The arrest of the petitioner had taken place on 03.05.2025 and the institution of the writ petition came to take place on 14.05.2025
11. The petitioner has posed challenge to his preventive detention on the basis of the grounds as set out in paragraph-5 of the writ petition.
12. When this Court peruses the grounds of detention which are providing support to the preventive detention order impugned in the writ petition, this Court comes across with a live evidence of sheer mechanical as wel
Preventive detention should not be based on stale incidents and should not be used as a mode of punishment without trial.
Preventive detention under the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act must be justified by current threats to public order, not merely past criminal behavior.
Preventive detention under PSA invalid if short-circuiting unconcluded BNSS section 126 proceedings without final orders; subjective satisfaction must tie to State security, not mere criminal/anti-na....
Preventive detention under PSA invalid as short-circuiting of uncompleted BNSS Section 126 proceedings; subjective satisfaction must link to state security prejudicial activities, not criminal/anti-n....
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