Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq files plea in J&K HC against ‘house arrest’

Srinagar : Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has filed a petition in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court challenging his “house arrest”, the separatist amalgam said on Wednesday.

It said the court is scheduled to hear the petition on Friday. While the Hurriyat has claimed that its chairman has been under house detention for one month and his movements are restricted, the J-K administration has maintained that he is a free man but security agencies determine his movements because of security reasons.

“The hearing of the case of Mirwaiz’s house arrest/illegal detention has been listed on October 4 in the High Court. The Mirwaiz has been under house detention for the last one month,” the Hurriyat said.

It said that the Mirwaiz had earlier filed a writ petition in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh High Court which had been listed for November 2024.

“However, as he incessantly has been once again put under illegal and unauthorised detention without any formal orders by the administration even during the pendency of the said writ petition, depriving him of his fundamental rights guaranteed to him including his religious rights as well, he therefore, was compelled to file another petition along with an urgency memo,” the Hurriyat claimed.

The separatist amalgam said it was hopeful that the high court would provide much-needed relief to the Mirwaiz “in view of laws of natural justice and human rights also enshrined in the Constitution”.

He also appealed to the legal fraternity, political organisations and human rights groups to raise their voice over the issue.