Former General Secretary of J&K High Court Bar Association arrested under PSA

On 27th July, Mohammad Ashraf, the former General Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, was arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and transferred to Kathua jail.

The PSA is a controversial law that allows for detention without trial for up to two years. Amnesty International calls it a “lawless law”.

Ashraf’s arrest has been widely condemned by human rights organizations and legal professionals who view it as an attempt to silence dissenting voices in Kashmir. The PSA has been criticized for its use against political activists, journalists, and lawyers who speak out against the Indian government’s policies in the region.

Ashraf’s arrest is part of a broader pattern of targeting Kashmiri legal professionals who advocate for the rights of their clients and the broader Kashmiri community. The use of the PSA in this manner is seen as an abuse of power and a violation of the rule of law.

Mr. Bhat was the fourth lawyer of the erstwhile Bar to be arrested in July. Earlier, ex-Bar chief Mian Qayoom, acting Bar chairman Nazir Ahmad Ronga, and Mr. Qayoom’s nephew advocate Mian Muzaffar were arrested by the police and shifted to jails in the Jammu province, which is around 300 km away from Srinagar.

Mian Qayoom is in his 70s and is a patient of various cardiac issues. He had previously suffered heart attack in prison during his illegal detention in 2020.