The Jammu and Kashmir government has again extended Mehbooba Mufti’s detention under Public Safety Act (PSA) by another three months.
An order issued by Principal Secretary, Home, Shaleen Kabra, said that in order to prevent her from acting in any manner prejudicial to maintenance of public order, the government directs that the period of detention of Mehbooba Mufti under the PSA be extended for a further period of three months.
The former chief minister will be lodged in Fairview — on Gupkar Road in Srinagar — which has been declared as a subsidiary jail .
Fairview was Mehbooba Mufti’s official residence as the Chief Minister.
The extension in her detention period comes on a day the authorities lifted house arrest restrictions on Peoples Conference leader and former minister, Sajad Gani Lone.
Mehbooba Mufti was detained at the time of abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019 along with two other former chief ministers, Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah.
Booked under the stringent PSA, the former Chief Minister was initially kept at the Hari Niwas guesthouse in Srinagar and later shifted to a Tourism Department hut in the Chashma Shahi area. From there, she was shifted to a government quarter in the transport yard lane in Srinagar. She was shifted to her Gupkar Road official residence on April 7.
In May, her detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) was again extended for three months.
Meanwhile, both the Abdullahs have been released.
Nearly after eight months in detention post the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was released on March 24. The Jammu and Kashmir government revoked the Public Safety Act (PSA) of Abdullah and ended his detention.
Omar’s father and National conference chief Farooq Abdullah was released from detention on March 13.
On June 3, the Jammu and Kashmir administration revoked the Public Safety Act (PSA) order against three politicians including bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal.