Separatist Masarat Alam might sue the government over his detention from September 2014 to March 2015.

In a move that is likely to cause further embarrassment to the Modi government, separatist Masarat Alam might sue the government over his continued detention from September 2014 to March 2015.

Alam might approach the courts and could even ask for compensation for his detention, which had lapsed in September 2014, according to The Times of India.

Even Home Minister Rajnath Singh had last week admitted that there were no fresh grounds to keep Alam under detention. He added there had been a delay in getting the approval of the detention order against Alam by the Jammu and Kashmir state government.

"On 15 September, 2014, a detention order was issued by the district magistrate which was received in the home department of the Jammu and Kashmir government after a lapse of 23 days," Singh had said, adding that a detention order against a person needed to be approved by the state government within 12 days.

However, Singh had also said that the Centre had issued an advisory to the Jammu and Kashmir government, asking it to pursue all cases against Alam vigorously and ensure surveillance of the separatist leader.

"In its advisory, the Home Ministry has told the state government (of Jammu and Kashmir) that all the 27 criminal cases against Masarat Alam must be pursued vigorously," Singh had said in the Lok Sabha.

"The state government has .. informed that a proper system is in place to have an effective surveillance of Masarat Alam Bhat's activities. As and when anything adverse surfaces, appropriate action as envisaged by law will be taken."

"The intelligence apparatus and local police work in tandem, thereby facilitating planning of advance and adequate deployment of law and order components for maintenance of peace and order in areas likely to be visited by Masarat Alam Bhat and other separatist elements," Singh had said, citing a fresh report sent by the Mufti Sayeed government to the Centre.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday had said that there was "nothing wrong" in Alam's release. She had said the Jammu and Kashmir government headed by her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was only upholding a Supreme Court order by freeing the separatist.

"If upholding the direction of the Supreme Court is wrong, then what do we do?... You are trying to subvert your own Supreme Court when it comes to Kashmir. How can you do that?" she had said.

(With inputs from PTI)