Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has now been detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), which enables authorities to detain any individual for two years without a trial, sources said on Monday (September 16).
The 81-year-old patron of the National Conference has been under house arrest since August 5 when the Centre announced the abrogation of the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into Union territories.
Also read: SC issues notice to Centre, J&K over detention of Farooq Abdullah
Abdullah has been detained under the PSA, official sources said. The law was slapped on Abdullah on Sunday (September 15). On Monday, the Supreme Court asked the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir administration to respond to a plea seeking that the former chief minister be produced before a court.
The petition was filed by Tamil Nadu’s MDMK leader Vaiko, seeking Abdullah’s release so he could attend an event in Chennai. Vaiko is said to have been a close friend of Abdullah for about four decades.
Also read: MDMK chief Vaiko files habeas corpus plea in SC for Farooq Abdullah
Abdullah’s son and former chief minister Omar Abdullah and another former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti are also under detention since August 5.