Jammu and Kashmir Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was released late Tuesday night after being detained by the government for nearly 14 months – since it scrapped Article 370 in August – and being charged under the Public Safety Act (PSA) – a stringent law that allows detention and multiple extensions without trial for up to three months – in February.
Ms Mufti’s release comes just as a deadline set by the Supreme Court, which had been approached by her daughter Iltija Mufti with a habeas corpus petition, was set to expire.
In September the court questioned the centre and the J&K administration over her detention, asking them: “How long can Mehbooba Mufti be kept in custody?” The J&K administration was given two weeks to explain how long they intended to keep Ms Mufti in custody.
In July, Ms Mufti’s detention under the Public Safety Act was extended for another three months.
Minutes after Ms Mufti’s release was confirmed her daughter, Iltija Mufti, who took over her mother’s Twitter account after she was detained, tweeted: “As Ms Mufti’s illegal detention finally comes to an end, Id like to thank everybody who supported me in these tough times. I owe a debt of gratitude to you all. This is Iltija signing off. May Allah protect you”.
As Ms Mufti’s illegal detention finally comes to an end, Id like to thank everybody who supported me in these tough times. I owe a debt of gratitude to you all. This is Iltija signing off. فی امان اﷲ May allah protect you
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) October 13, 2020
“There is a sense of huge relief,” Iltija Mufti told when asked about relinquishing control of her mother’s social media account, “Twitter is a toxic place. Glad I will not be on it anymore. My mother will finally use her own Twitter handle. It felt abnormal to use hers.”
“…but a lot of young people are still languishing in jail. (The detention was a) complete travesty of justice (and) other families are still suffering,” she added.
