Srinagar, Aug 30: The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the preventive detention of a Srinagar man under the Public Safety Act (PSA), finding no grounds to interfere with the detention order.

Justice Sanjay Dhar passed the judgment on August 29 while hearing a petition filed by Bilal Ahmad Lone against an order issued by the District Magistrate, Srinagar, on October 11, 2024.
Lone’s counsel argued that the detention grounds were vague, lacked a direct connection with him and relied on an alleged 2017 activity, creating a prolonged gap between the incident and the detention. The petitioner also alleged that relevant documents had not been supplied and his representation was not considered promptly.
The authorities opposed the plea, maintaining that the order followed due consideration of Lone’s past conduct and other circumstances. They alleged his involvement in the 2017 lynching of a police officer during Shab-i-Qadr at Jamia Masjid.
The court noted that Lone figured in three FIRs registered at Nowhatta and Safakadal police stations in 2016 and 2017. It also recorded that he had previously been detained under the PSA in September 2022 and released on September 10, 2024, before the fresh detention order was issued on October 11.
Rejecting the claim that detention-related material had not been provided, the court found that Lone had received the detention order, notice, grounds of detention, dossier and 48 pages of supporting material—58 pages in total. His receipt acknowledging the documents was also on record.
The court further noted that his representation submitted on October 21, 2024, was rejected by the government on November 4, 2024.
On the allegation of vagueness, Justice Dhar observed that the grounds contained specific allegations regarding activities after Lone’s release. The record cited inputs alleging that a Pakistan-based TRF handler, identified as Ahmad Khalid, had contacted Lone through an encrypted messaging application and asked him to recruit young men for terrorist activities.
Finding the allegations sufficiently specific and the statutory safeguards complied with, the High Court dismissed the petition and upheld the detention order.