Srinagar, September 11 — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he had assured support to the family of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik, who has been detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA), and advised the party to rely on local legal expertise.
“I met his father and assured him all the help. I would advise his party (AAP) to pick a lawyer from J&K who understands the PSA law well, and not bring a lawyer from outside J&K. I have spoken to a few lawyers. We are ready to extend all possible help,” Abdullah told reporters.
The remarks came after the J&K government informed the Assembly Speaker of Malik’s detention under PSA, sparking sharp criticism from political parties across the Union Territory.
AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal condemned Malik’s detention, questioning the grounds of his arrest. “Is demanding a hospital for the people of your area such a grave crime that an elected MLA has to be thrown in jail for it? Mehraj Malik is the lion of the Aam Aadmi Party. He will always remain the voice of the people,” Kejriwal posted on X.
He added that threats and conspiracies would not intimidate AAP’s representatives.
Omar Abdullah has repeatedly criticised the detention of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik under PSA, calling it unjustified. Shortly after Malik’s arrest, Omar said, “Malik is not a threat to public safety, and using this discredited law to detain him is wrong.”
He questioned how an elected representative could be treated this way, and warned that such actions erode people’s faith in democracy.
He has also asserted that the PSA should not be applied to a sitting MLA and said that if any wrongdoing is alleged, it ought to be addressed through Assembly mechanisms, such as through the Speaker, rather than by invoking preventive detention.
On another occasion, he said that the PSA law is “discredited” in public view—its invocation needs strong justification, which he felt was lacking in this case.
He also responded to claims about the Assembly Secretariat supposedly endorsing Malik’s detention, calling such claims false, saying the Secretariat has no role in approving or disapproving PSA use
First MLA under PSA in J&K
Officials confirmed that Malik, 37, was detained in Doda district while preparing to visit flood-hit areas. He was later shifted to Bhaderwah district jail under PSA orders issued by Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh, based on a police dossier.
This marks the first time a sitting legislator in Jammu and Kashmir has been booked under the PSA, a preventive detention law that allows incarceration without trial for up to two years in some cases.
According to officials, Malik faces 18 FIRs and 16 daily diary reports in Doda district, ranging from alleged attacks on officials and intimidation to abduction charges. A recent video also surfaced showing him allegedly abusing the Doda Deputy Commissioner over a health facility dispute.
Malik, a social worker from Doda, joined AAP in 2013 and became the party’s state president in March 2025. He was elected as AAP’s first and only MLA in J&K after defeating the BJP candidate in Doda in October 2024.
His arrest has stirred political backlash, with critics calling it a dangerous precedent. The PSA does not affect his membership in the J&K Legislative Assembly, as he has not been convicted in any of the registered cases so far.
