Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court on Monday (April 27) quashed the Public Safety Act (PSA) that was invoked to detain Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Mehraj Malik last year. The court’s decision to grant relief to him was welcomed in Jammu and Kashmir, including by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who said that Malik should have “never been detained” under the stringent legislation, which has been termed a “lawless law” by Amnesty International.Malik was arrested on September 8 last year following a controversy over the shifting of a health centre in Doda district of Jammu division, following which a case was filed by police (FIR No. 90/2025) at Gandoh police station.The police invoked sections 221 (obstructing a public servant), 329(3) (criminal trespass), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 305(e) (theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, against Malik and five other persons on the complaint of the block medical officer of Thatri.Screngrab of September 2025 video of Doda MLA Mehraj Malik speaking to the media while he was being taken into police custody. Source/X@haqwaniiIn his social media posts, the AAP MLA had also used unsavoury remarks against Doda deputy commissioner Harvinder Singh, while accusing him of corruption and interfering in the shifting of the centre due to “vested interests”.However, Singh has denied the charge levelled by the AAP MLA.Malik, who was elected from the Doda East constituency in the 2024 J&K assembly election, was dragged by policemen and bundled into a van near the Dak Bungalow in Doda after he tried to resist arrest last year.Later, the administration invoked the stringent law against Malik, who was accused of indulging in activities “prejudicial to public order” and was later lodged in Kathua district jail.AAP’s legal team had challenged the detention through a habeas corpus petition.The matter was heard on several occasions, and the high court reserved its judgment in the case on February 23 after the completion of arguments.“We were hopeful that the decision would be in our favour. It is a matter of great joy for us and his constituents. Truth has been upheld after the passage of eight months. The court has ruled that both bureaucracy and legislators have to work together,” J&K AAP leader and Malik’s counsel Appu Singh told reporters after the court pronounced its verdict.Reports say Malik is likely to be released after his legal team completes procedural formalities.Reacting to the court’s order, chief minister Abdullah said in a post on X: “He should NEVER have been detained under PSA; in fact, he should never have been detained at all. His detention was a gross misuse of this law & totally unjustified. I hope the people responsible for this detention learn a valuable lesson from the decision of the Hon’ble High Court & reflect on the way these laws are being abused in J&K.”J&K Apni Party leader Altaf Bukhari posted on X: “Pleased to learn that the Hon’ble High Court has quashed the Public Safety Act (PSA) detention of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik. This long-awaited and welcome decision reaffirms our faith in the rule of law and the delivery of justice. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Mehraj Malik and his family on this significant and relieving moment. I also convey my greetings to the people of the Doda constituency, who democratically elected him in the 2024 elections to represent them.”