Arvind Sharma
Jammu Tawi, Feb 03: The ongoing budget session of the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is not being conducted to its full strength of 90 members of the House, as the court has so far not granted permission to the lone AAP member detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) to participate in the House proceedings.
The lone AAP MLA, Mehraj Malik, from Doda, is currently lodged in Kathua Jail under PSA. The AAP MLA approached the court seeking permission to participate in the 2026 budget session, but the court has not yet granted permission to him in this regard.
In the Assembly today, the NC MLA and former MLC, Showkat Ahmed Ganai, raised this issue in the House. “Welcome the 2 new members in the house i.e Devyani Rana and the PDP MLA,” Ganai said, while adding, “Mehraj Malik must also be allowed to participate in the House proceedings”.
It may be mentioned that the AAP MLA had approached the court seeking permission for participating in the upcoming budget session but so far there has not been any decision from the court in this regard.
Mehraj Malik remains detained under PSA since September 8, 2025, and his habeas corpus petition challenging his detention continues to be pending before the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. He had also sought to cast his vote in the Rajya Sabha polls from jail, and the court earlier directed authorities to facilitate his postal ballot — but on attending the assembly session itself, no relief has been granted yet.
“We have already informed the Kathua Jail authorities about the start of the Budget session beginning from 2nd of February as the AAP MLA is lodged in this jail,” Speaker, J&K Assembly, AR Rather, told the Northlines.
“It is obligatory for us to inform the Jail authorities,” the Speaker said. Rather added that their part was only to inform the Jail authorities about the start of the Budget session and it is now up to the court to decide on participation of this MLA in House proceedings.
Political and public reaction to Malik’s detention remains intense, with protests earlier staged by NC and Congress MLAs within the Assembly complex demanding his release and restoration of democratic rights.
