J&K and Ladakh High Court Faults Vague Preventive Detention Order Under PSA

Justice Wasim Nargal of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court questioned a detention order he described as vague, asking who the detainee was accused of being a terrorist. The judge stressed that preventive detention, which allows authorities to hold a person without a regular criminal trial, requires the highest degree of constitutional responsibility and procedural care. He directed the District Collector to appear before the court with the detention order, the police dossier, the material placed before him, and records showing how he reached his subjective satisfaction before ordering detention under the Public Safety Act.