Jammu, 18 December (H.S.): The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on Thursday listed a plea filed by detained Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Mehraj Malik for next hearing on December 27, after the petitioner’s side concluded its arguments in the matter.

Malik, who is the AAP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit president, was detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) on September 8 for allegedly disturbing public order and was subsequently lodged in the Kathua jail. On September 24, he filed a habeas corpus petition in the high court, challenging his detention and seeking Rs 5 crore as compensation.

“The arguments from Malik’s side were concluded today. The lawyers fighting his case concluded their arguments on a positive note. Now, the government will present its case before the court on the next date of hearing. The court has fixed December 27 as the next date of hearing,” advocate M Zulkarnain Chowdhary told reporters here.

He said the arguments from the petitioner’s side were heard for three hours and a half. “All aspects of the case were highlighted in connection with the grounds on which Malik was booked by the deputy commissioner under the PSA. All arguments concerning those grounds, supported by relevant judgments, were presented before the court,” he said.

Chowdhary, who is part of a battery of lawyers including senior advocate Rahul Pant and advocates S S Ahmed, M Tariq Mughal and Appu Singh Salathia fighting Malik’s case, further said that Pant put forth his arguments strongly before the court.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar