india

Updated: Sep 08, 2019 00:08 IST

Acting on a petition by two National Conference (NC) MPs, the Jammu and Kashmir high court has asked a senior government lawyer to seek instruction from the state administration on the detention of NC president Farooq Abdullah and his son and party vice president Omar Abdullah.

The two NC parliament members – Husnain Masoodi and Akbar Lone -- moved the high court with a petition seeking direction to the government to allow them to meet the Abdullahs, under detention since August 5 when Parliament moved to divest Jammu and Kashmir of its special status.

The MP’s said in the petition that the authorities had not allowed them to meet the party leaders.

“Before proceeding further in the matter, its necessary to first ascertain whether the petitioners have been actually prevented by officials from meeting their leadership and if this {is a } fact, the reasons should be known,’’ a single-judge bench of justice Sanjeev Kumar observed while passing verbal instructions to senior additional advocate general Javeed Iqbal to seek instruction from the government.

Farooq Abdullah has been placed under house arrest at his Gupkar residence in Srinagar and his son Omar Abdullah has been detained at Hari Niwas, which has been converted into sub-jail.

More than 50 politicians are lodged at Centaur hotel, which too has been declared a sub-jail. People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti is under detention at Cheshma Shahi.

Family members of Omar Abdullah including his sister Safiya and her children and aunt Suriya were allowed to meet him last month. Likewise, the mother and sister of Mufti were allowed to meet her.

The Supreme Court, hearing a petition filed by the daughter of Mufti, allowed her to meet the former chief minister.

As part of the clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir, more than 2,000 people including top mainstream and separatist leaders, have been arrested from across the state and more than 200 people detained under the Public Safety Act.