CHENNAI: A fundamentalist Muslim cannot be equated to an extremist or a separatist, Jammu and Kashmir High Court observed on Tuesday.
Justice Atul Sreedharan made this remark while hearing a petition challenging the preventive detention of a 22-year-old Muslim alleging that he has agreed to engage as Over ground worker of The Resistance Front, a supposed LeT outfit, and has become a hardcore fundamentalist, Live Law reported.
The detention order was issued by the District Magistrate of Pulwama and it was challenged in the Court by the detunu`s father, the report said.
Justice Atul Sreedharan observed that a fundamentalist Muslim is someone who strongly believes and pursues the fundamentals of the Islamic faith and there is no negativity attached to it. He also added that it has no negative bearing on the personality and it is distinct from an extremist or a separatist.
The Court, according to the Live Law, also noted the use of the phrase ''Fundamentalist ideology" by the District Magistrate and said that the charged ground is vague and has been used lucidly without proper understanding.
The bench agreed to the petitioner`s contention that the grounds of detention were not specific, based on speculations and said it did not provide details that the nature of the alleged act was detrimental to the nation.
Henceforth, the detention order was quashed and the detunu was set free.