Jammu, Nov 3 :
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court, headed by Chief Justice, today took up for hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by PDP President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, seeking the return of J&K prisoners lodged in various jails outside the Union Territory.
The PIL, filed earlier this year, calls for a humane and compassionate approach toward detainees who, according to Mehbooba Mufti, are being held far from their families under trying conditions. She personally attended the proceedings at the Jammu wing of the High Court on Monday.
In her plea, Mufti has argued that the continued detention of Kashmiri prisoners in distant jails, some located over a thousand kilometres from their homes, violates fundamental human rights and causes immense hardship to their families. The petition seeks the transfer of such detainees to prisons within Jammu and Kashmir to enable easier family access and ensure their safety.
Sources said the matter was listed before the Chief Justice for consideration of maintainability and further directions to the Union Territory administration and the Home Department. The government is expected to submit its detailed response on the next date of hearing.
The issue has been a recurring subject of concern among political and civil society groups in the Valley, who have repeatedly urged authorities to shift local detainees back to the region. (CNS)