Srinagar/March,13:National Conference President and three time former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah will be released after over seven months in custody under the Public Safety Act or PSA, a stringent law that allows detention without trial.
Farooq Abdullah, 83, was placed under detention along with several leaders including his son Omar Abdullah and PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti on August 5, when the government ended special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and imposed massive security restrictions and a communication lockdown.
“My father is a free man again,” tweeted his daughter Safia Abdullah Khan.In September, the Lok Sabha member was charged under the PSA, which enables detention without trial for up to two years. He was charged with “disturbing public order” under the law, which means shorter detention of three months. His home on Srinagar’s Gupkar Road was designated a jail.
This was the first time that the PSA, used against terrorists, separatists or stone-throwers, was used on a mainstream politician, especially an MP and a three-time Chief Minister.
His detention was extended after three months and today was the last day of the extended custody.
