Srinagar, Oct 27: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday witnessed heated scenes as opposition members protested against the detention of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
NC MLA Sajjad Shaheen demanded a one-hour discussion on Malik’s detention, but BJP MLA R. S. Pathania objected, saying the decision to invoke the PSA lies with the district magistrate. His remark triggered loud protests from the opposition benches and the AIP MLA Sheikh Khursheed, prompting Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to intervene and restore order.
Independent MLA Shabir Kullay attempted to storm into the well of the House but was stopped by the Speaker, who urged members to maintain decorum and let Pathania speak.
Pathania argued that matters pending before a court cannot be debated in the Assembly. This drew a sharp response from NC’s Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi, who questioned, “Will this state be run by DCs?” He asserted that the Assembly had the right to discuss such issues and demanded a committee probe into Malik’s detention.
People’s Conference MLA Sajad Lone termed the PSA a “black law” and called Malik’s detention “unjustified.”
Amid continuing uproar, Speaker Rather reiterated that any issue sub judice “cannot be discussed in the House.”
The Public Safety Act, a preventive detention law, empowers the administration to detain individuals for up to two years without trial in the interest of public order or security. (Agencies)
