The J&K High Court today asked the High Powered Committee constituted under Supreme Court directives, to examine submissions made by an advocate regarding the detainees booked under Public Safety Act.
The direction came after advocate Salih Pirzada,representing petitioner in one of the PILs that were heard by the High Court,submitted that the High Powered Committee constituted by the J&K Governmenthas “overlooked the aspect of detenues detained under PSA”.
Pirzada submitted that the order of the SC makes a referenceonly to prisoners without specifying the provision of law under which they mayhave been imprisoned.
While hearing through video conference two Public Interestlitigations related to Covid-19 in J&K, a division bench of Chief JusticeGita Mittal and Justice Rajesh Oswal asked advocate Pirzada to place his submissions by e-mail to M KSharma, member secretary J&K State Legal Services Authority and one of themembers of the High Powered Committee.
The Court asked Sharma to place the “submissions” before theHigh Powered Committee for urgent examination and deal with the issues pointedout.
“The High Powered Committee shall keep in view the urgencyof the entire matter” the court said.
In keeping with the SC directions, the J&K governmenthas constituted the High Powered Committee comprising Justice Rajesh BindalExecutive Chairperson, JKSLSA and its Chairman Shaleen Kabra, Secretary Home, BK Singh, DGP (Prisons) and M K Sharma,Member Secretary, JKSLSA. The committee in its two orders has made severaldirections vis-a-vis the release of prisoners to de-congest the jails in viewof the Covid-19.