During the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly session on Monday, the detention of MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA) triggered heated exchanges among legislators. The issue was raised on the second day of the autumn session, after the first day had been reserved for obituary references.
MLA Sajjad Shaheen of the National Conference (NC) called for a one-hour discussion on Malik’s “unjustified” detention, with several members joining him in demanding the immediate revocation of the PSA order. NC MLA Nazir Ahmad Khan argued that the Assembly’s authority is supreme, even above the courts, and insisted that the House must deliberate on the reasons behind Malik’s detention.
The debate intensified after BJP MLA R.S. Pathania defended the Doda Deputy Commissioner’s authority to impose the PSA, stating, “The imposition of the PSA falls within the jurisdiction of the District Magistrate (DM).”
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MLA Khursheed Ahmad said he would continue to raise the issue, which opposition members and activists have described as an act of political vendetta.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Waheed Parra expressed grave concern over what he described as the erosion of democratic institutions in Jammu and Kashmir, arguing that the dignity of elected representatives was being undermined.
Referring to Malik’s detention, Parra said, “The institution of MLAs is being eroded,” calling the move “a dangerous precedent for democracy.”
Without naming the government directly, Parra warned that silencing political voices and elected representatives weakens the core of democracy. “When an MLA can be detained under a preventive law, it sends a disturbing message about how far democratic space has shrunk,” he said.
Turning to the issue of reservations, Parra clarified that the PDP was not opposed to the principle itself but questioned its uneven implementation and limited impact on ground realities. “We are not against reservation, but Kashmir has seen everything,” he said, adding that the same youth who once participated in protests or militancy had now embraced democracy by voting, yet “there is no visible progress or change on the ground.”
Meanwhile, the matter is also being heard in the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. In a related case, the court recently quashed the PSA detention of one of Malik’s aides, citing vague and baseless grounds.
Mehraj Malik, the lone Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, was detained on September 8, 2025, under the Public Safety Act for allegedly disturbing public order in Doda. His detention followed a public spat with Doda Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh over the shifting of a health sub-centre.
