The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has quashed the detention of journalist Majid Hyderi, who was booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail, Jammu. The verdict was delivered by Justice V K Chatterjee, according to Hyderi’s counsel, advocate Mohammad Yousuf Bhat.
Hyderi was arrested on September 15, 2023, from his Srinagar residence on charges of “extortion and defamation” under FIR No. 88/2023 at Saddar Police Station. Despite being granted bail by the Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar, he was re-arrested and booked under the PSA.
His detention drew criticism, with former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti alleging he was “dragged from his home like a wanted terrorist.” The Jammu and Kashmir Police denied this, stating that “all legal procedures of formal arrest as mandated by law were fully followed.”