Srinagar: J&K High Court Bar Association Srinagar on Wednesday called for the release of political prisoners lodged in and outside J&K jails including its president in wake of Covid-19 crisis. The statement said, “Executive members Bar Association held a meeting and impressed upon the highpowered committee constituted on the directives of the Supreme Court to order the release of all the detainees and political prisoners lodged in and outside the State of J&K including the president of J&K High Court Bar Association, Srinagar who is presently lodged in Jail No. 3 of Central Jail Tihar, New Delhi, in view of the rapid increase of Covid- 19 threat, which has resulted in global lockdown.”

“The Bar members noticing that their President Mian Abdul Qayoom, who is in his advanced age surviving on a single kidney, suffering from multiple chronic ailments which include diabetes, hypertension, severe nerve damage, 60 per cent blockage in one of the arteries of heart, resulting in his frail immune system, is more prone to become a victim of a deadly virus with minimal chances of his survival,” it reads. The Bar members also made a fervent appeal to the authorities that all these detainees/ undertrial political prisoners including Mian Abdul Qayoom be released immediately. “It was also stated that as per jail manual the detainees could be classified as undertrial prisoners entitled to secure benefits of Supreme Court direction per law the persons lodged under PSA are deemed to be undertrial prisoner, as they have been detained on mere apprehension, therefore, there should be no excuse for the authorities for not releasing them,” it added.

KR Desk