Supreme Court to hear plea against Omar Abdullah’s detention under Public Safety Act on 5 March

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said it would hear on 5 March a plea filed by Sara Abdullah Pilot challenging the detention of her brother and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Solicitor General Tushar Mehta filed the response on behalf of the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Pilot’s plea before a bench of justices Arun Mishra and Indira Banerjee. Attorney General KK Venugopal referred to an earlier apex court verdict and said that in a matter of detention, the petitioner should first approach the high court. The bench, while posting the matter for hearing on Thursday, said that the petitioner can file a rejoinder, if any, on the response filed by the Jammu and Kashmir administration. Pilot has approached the top court challenging her brother’s detention under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, saying the order was “manifestly illegal” and there was no question of him being a “threat to the maintenance of public order”.