Senior Advocate Mohammad Ashraf Bhat Arrested Under Public Safety Act
PTK MONITORING DESK
Srinagar, July 18: Senior advocate and former general secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, was arrested from his residence in Rawalpora late Wednesday night. Officials confirmed that Bhat has been booked under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).
The arrest marks the latest in a series of detentions involving key members of the Bar Association. Bhat has since been transferred to Kathua jail in the Jammu region, they added.
This incident follows the recent arrests of two other senior figures from the Bar Association. Nazir Ahmad Ronga, former president of the Bar, was arrested and booked under the PSA last week. Additionally, Mian Abdul Qayoom, another former president of the lawyers’ body, was detained last month in connection with the 2020 murder of Advocate Babar Qadri by terrorists.
The arrests of these prominent legal figures have sparked discussions and concerns within the legal community and among civil society members. The application of the PSA, a law that allows for detention without trial for up to two years, has been a contentious issue, drawing criticism from various human rights organizations.
The authorities have yet to provide detailed reasons for Bhat’s arrest under the PSA, but the ongoing crackdown on senior members of the Bar Association underscores the tense and complex legal and political landscape in Jammu and Kashmir.
