Srinagar, Feb 6: Senior Hurriyat Conference (G) leader and Muslim League chairman, Masarat Alam Bhat, has been detained under Public Safety Act for seventh consecutive time since September 2008.
 He was first booked under PSA in September 2008 after Amarnath land row agitation. The High Court quashed his sixth PSA on January 1, 2010 and ordered his release from Central jail Srinagar on the same day.
 However, he was again booked under PSA on February 2– seventh time in a row – and as per the current detention orders passed by District Magistrate Srinagar, Me’raj Kakroo, Masarat has been ordered to be lodged at District Jail Kathua in Jammu province.
 Earlier, Masarat was booked under PSA on September 19, 2009 and taken into preventive detention by the Police on November 23, 2009. Subsequently, the said order was challenged before the High Court by Masarat’s counsel. The High Court quashed the PSA order dated November 19 on January 1, 2010.
 But instead of releasing him, Masarat was picked up outside the jail premises and the police on January 14 produced him before Sub-Registrar in the lower Court Complex in Srinagar to seek his judicial remand for seven days. On January 20, his remand was extended in an FIR 34/2006, registered in PS Nigeen under Section 130 ULA and 153-A. But before that, Masarat’s lawyers produced bail order before the Judge. Subsequently, the Magistrate ordered his release from the detention but he was not released and the Court orders were not complied with.
 Next day, on January 21 Masarat was sent to 10 days judicial remand by Naib Tehsildar Srinagar in connection with a case registered in Police Station Shaheed Gunj.
 Though the 10-day judicial remand ended on January 31, still he was not released. Subsequently, District Magistrate Srinagar passed detention order against Alam vide order No. DMS/PSA/65/2010 on February 2 and it was seventh consecutive PSA against him.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 6 Feb 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 6 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 7 Feb 2010 00:00:00 IST