Jammu, Apr 28: After spending eight months in prison, AAP MLA Mehraj Malik was released from Kathua jail on Tuesday after the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court quashed his detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
Malik reached his Jammu residence to a rousing welcome, with supporters greeted him with flowers, dhol beats, and crackers. Party workers distributed sweets and raised slogans in his favour as he pledged to continue his fight for the people.
Setting aside the detention order issued by the Doda district magistrate, Justice Mohd Yousuf Wani ruled that the order was legally unsustainable and based on “non-application of mind,” directing authorities to release Malik.
Malik had been detained in September last year under the PSA for allegedly disturbing public order and was lodged in Kathua jail. He had approached the high court on September 24, 2025, through a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention and seeking compensation. The court had reserved its verdict in February before quashing the detention on Monday.
“Malik was released by jail authorities this morning after completion of all formalities,” his lawyer and AAP spokesperson Appu Singh Slathia said.
As Malik walked out of Kathua jail, supporters garlanded him 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.
At his residence, he received an emotional welcome from his parents. “It is the victory of people,” Malik, who heads AAP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit, told party workers.
“When I came out of jail, people understood who was right and who was wrong. Framing anyone won’t help”, he said. “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 also stressed on democratic values, saying India remains the best country in the world. “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.
Urging people to uphold the Constitution, he warned against divisive tendencies. “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 termed his release a “victory of truth” and reaffirmed their commitment to public welfare. His father, Shammas Din, expressed satisfaction, saying, “He is my son, and he is here for the people and their happiness,” asserting that truth ultimately prevails.
Delhi AAP MLA Imran Hussain also welcomed the court’s decision, stating, “I sincerely thank the court for bringing out the truth and dismissing the baseless case that had been imposed unjustly.”(KINS)
