Petition In Delhi HC Alleges ‘Illegal Detention’ Of IAS Turned Politician Shah Faesal; Court Seeks Centre’s Response

The Delhi High Court on Monday (19 August) issued notice to the Centre seeking its response on the petition filed against the detention of former bureaucrat and Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement leader Shah Faesal.

Seeking release of Faesal, the petition, filed in the Delhi HC by Faesal’s friend, alleged that the former bureaucrat was “illegally picked up” from the airport while he was on the way to Harvard University in the United States, where he was going to complete his fellowship, reports The New Indian Express.

"The circumstances of his illegal custody from the Delhi airport point to unlawful and illegal detention, which effectively amounts to abduction," said the petition.

The petition also said that after his detention on 14 August, he was "illegally whisked away to Kashmir against his wishes. No transit remand was sought in Delhi before taking him to Srinagar,"

Appearing on behalf of the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the maintainability of the petition and said that the petitioner has no direct knowledge of the event, and the plea is based only on hearsay, reports LiveLaw.

However, the Delhi HC bench of Justices Manmohan and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal asked the Centre to file reply to the petition by Thursday (22 August) and listed the matter for next hearing on Friday (23 August).