Jammu, 28 April (H.S.): After spending eight months in prison, AAP MLA Mehraj Malik was released from Kathua jail on Tuesday following the quashing of his detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) by the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.

Malik arrived at his residence in Jammu to a rousing reception with a floral welcome and beats of dholaks and bursting of crackers. Scores of party workers distributed sweets amid slogannering in favour of Malik, as he vowed to continue to fight for the people.

Setting aside the detention order issued by the Doda district magistrate, Justice Mohd Yousuf Wani on Monday directed authorities to release Malik and held that the order was legally unsustainable and based on “non-application of mind.”

Malik was detained last September under the PSA for allegedly disturbing public order and was subsequently lodged in Kathua jail.

On September 24, 2025, he filed a habeas corpus petition in the high court, challenging his detention and seeking Rs 5 crore as compensation. On February 23, the high court had reserved its order in the case, and then on Monday, it quashed the detention issued under the PSA.

“Malik was released by jail authorities this morning after completion of all formalities,” his lawyer and AAP spokesperson Appu Singh Slathia told reporters here.

As the gates of Kathua jail opened this morning to release the AAP leader, numerous people garlanded him with flowers and rallied behind him. “Our struggle will continue. It will not change. It is not a struggle based on politics but on the thoughts and drive of people’s welfare. I urge youth to join politics,” Malik told reporters in Kathua.

When Mehraj arrived at his residence in Jammu to a rousing reception, he was received by his mother and father, who hugged him amid a tearful welcome. “It is the victory of people,” Malik, who is the AAP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit president, told party workers at his residence.

“When I came out of jail, people understood who was right and who was wrong. Framing anyone won’t help”, he said in his address. “It is not that they had jailed me, they had jailed the voice of the people, their aspirations and their strength,” Malik said with tearful eyes, calling his release a victory of truth over falsehood.

Malik said that India is the best country in the world and urged people to stay away from divisive politics, saying the Constitution and democratic values are the nation’s greatest strengths.

“I truly say this from the core of my heart. You cannot find such a country anywhere else. You are fortunate to live here,” he said while drawing comparisons with neighbouring countries.

Urging everyone to uphold the Constitution, he warned that forgetting constitutional rights and values could push society backwards. “India is the largest democracy in the world, and I am proud of it. If such toxic tendencies exist within the country, we must make efforts to stop them,” Malik added.

Family members terming it a “victory of truth” and reaffirming their commitment to public welfare in Jammu and Kashmir. Malik’s father Shammas Din expressed satisfaction over the development, saying his son has always worked for the people.

“He is my son, and he is here for the people and their happiness,” he said, asserting that ultimately truth prevails.

Delhi AAP MLA Imran Hussain thanked the judiciary for quashing the case against Malik. “I sincerely thank the court for bringing out the truth and dismissing the baseless case that had been imposed unjustly,” he said.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar