J&K AAP MLA Mehraj Malik walks free after HC quashes PSA detention

Mehraj Malik walked out of Kathua jail on Tuesday morning, accompanied by his legal team led by advocate Appu Singh Slathia, after the High Court's quashing of his PSA detention a day earlier. He left for Jammu and spoke to reporters at Samba, calling his imprisonment a 'matter of time' and claiming that many others remain detained for similar reasons. He also commented on political conditions, saying, 'Speaking against the BJP in India has become as difficult as the BJP speaking against the United States.' AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal weighed in, accusing the Prime Minister of targeting opposition leaders with false allegations while not showing similar strength on the international stage.

Justice Mohammad Yousuf Wani of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashed Mehraj Malik's detention under the Public Safety Act, declaring the order illegal and setting aside the Doda District Magistrate's order.

Mehraj Malik, the AAP MLA from Doda East and the party's Jammu and Kashmir unit president, was arrested and detained under the Public Safety Act from September 8, 2025, on allegations of disturbing public order. The administration cited 18 FIRs and 16 daily diary reports against him. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the detention as a 'gross misuse of law.'