SRINAGAR: Mainstream politicians, who were detained after scrapping of Article 370 on August 5, will continue to remain in preventive detention as they have not challenged their detention.
At least 40-45 mainstream leaders, including former BJP ally and minister Sajjad Gani Lone, IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal and National Conference, PDP and Congress ex-ministers and ex-legislators, are lodged at the Centaur Hotel in Sheri Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar. The hotel has been turned into a “subsidiary jail”.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police, who has been designated as Superintendent of Subsidiary Jail, has been asked to ensure basic provisions contained in the jail manual are implemented in letter and spirit.
Barring Shah Faesal, no other politician has challenged their detention in court. Faesal moved the court against his detention.
Sajjad Lone’s sister Shabnam Lone, who is a lawyer in Supreme Court, has no immediate plans to file a petition in court to seek quashing of detention of her brother or other mainstream leaders.
“I didn’t seek quashing of detention. I sought the fundamental right for them to meet their families. I had written in my petition that I was not seeking reasons of detention or quashing of their detentions,” Shabnam said. It was after her petition that the High Court directed the authorities to allow the family members of detained politicians to meet them.