Jailed J&K AAP MLA Mehraj Malik released after court relief
28 Apr 2026

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Mehraj Malik was released from Kathua jail on Tuesday after the Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashed his detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

The court found the detention order issued by Doda district magistrate on September 8 last year to be legally unsustainable and based on "non-application of mind."

Malik was detained in September last year
Legal ruling

Justice Mohd Yousuf Wani ordered the immediate release of Malik, directing authorities to "release the petitioner/detenu forthwith from his preventive detention in the instant case."

Malik was detained under PSA for allegedly disturbing public order and was lodged in Kathua jail.

He challenged his detention with a habeas corpus petition on September 24, seeking ₹5 crore as compensation.

Court observed that alleged activities were law and order issues
Legal clarification

While ordering his release, the court emphasized the difference between "law and order" and "public order," noting that the material on record didn't warrant preventive detention.

It observed that Malik's alleged activities were routine law and order issues, not public disorder, adding that "almost all the criminal cases pertain to normal law and order violations not justifying the detention under PSA."

Malik greeted with a rousing reception
Public celebration

Malik was greeted with a rousing reception as he walked out of Kathua jail on Tuesday. Supporters shouted slogans in his favor, danced to dholaks, and garlanded him with flowers.

After his release, Malik thanked the judiciary for justice and vowed to continue raising people's issues.

"I am now out of jail. I thank the judiciary for justice to me," he said.

Malik is the AAP's first and only MLA in Jammu and Kashmir.