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Masrat Alam’s re-arrest case: Court issues notice to Govt

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 8/25/2012 1:16:16 AM

SRINAGAR, Aug 24: The High Court asked the state government to file response in a petition challenging re-arrest of Masrat Alam Bhat the senior separatist leader and close associate of Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Sources in the Court said that Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir, after hearing the matter directed the state government to file response to the petition challenging Bhat’s re-arrest under PSA within three weeks.
On August 7, the third additional session’s judge had directed prosecution to file status report on re-arresting of Masrat Alam Bhat the senior separatist leader and close associate of Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
According to Advocate Shabir Ahmad the counsel for Bhat, the court had directed additional prosecuting officer to file status report explaining reasons why Bhat was not released on an interim bail granted by the court.
On July 27, the court of 3rd additional session’s judge had granted bail to Bhat in a rioting case that was registered against him by police in four years ago.
However, on August 1, Bhat was rearrested after being released from Kathua jail, Hurriyat Conference (G) spokesperson Ayaz Akbar had said.
“Since 2010 courts have quashed five PSAs against Alam, and today when his relatives went to receive him at Kathua jail, the jail authorities rearrested him after releasing Alam,” Akbar had told media persons here.
According to Advocate Shabir Ahmad the counsel for Bhat, in 2008, police had registered a case FIR number 35 under various sections of RPC including 307, 147 and 148 against Bhat in Kralkhud Police Station.
“However, the chargesheet was produced in the court in absence of the accused. We applied for bail on June 12, 2012 but the court had reserved its order. Today, the court of 3rd additional session’s judge allowed this bail application,” advocate Shabir told Kashmir Times.
The High Court has already quashed Bhat’s detention under PSA on December 30, 2011. He had been arrested on October 18, 2010, in connection with his role in the summer unrest after remaining underground for several months. On June 10, the High Court had quashed the detention order against Bhat who heads the separatist political party Muslim League.
Notably, Bhat who spearheaded the “Quit Kashmir Movement” in 2010 was arrested by police during a raid near Tailbal on city outskirts on October 18 last year. After thorough interrogation by police for several days, Bhat was booked under PSA and lodged in Jammu Jail.
Bhat who is also general secretary of Hurriyat Conference (G) was arrested during a raid in Tailbal area but released in June 2010. Soon after his release he announced the ongoing “Quit Kashmir Movement.” Later police hunted for him for around four months and had reportedly announced Rs 10-lakh reward for information leading to Bhat’s arrest.
A close associate of Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Bhat was earlier arrested in 2008 during the Amarnath land row. After moving to court, his lawyer Mian Abdul Qayoom, filed a petition seeking quashment of the detention order against his client.
The court had later directed the government to produce record pertaining to the grounds of detention under which the senior separatist leader was arrested.