#PSA detention

J&K High Court rules that a six-year gap between alleged acts and detention order does not invalidate preventive detention under the Public Safety Act if a persistent pattern of anti-national conduct is established. The ruling underscores that ongoing threats to national security can override procedural delays, even when the detenu is on bail in related cases.

The J&K High Court has struck down a preventive detention under the Public Safety Act, ruling that reliance on outdated criminal antecedents tied to routine law and order issues - not a genuine threat to public order - renders the detention illegal. This reaffirms that PSA cannot be used as a tool for punitive detention and sets a vital boundary for executive power in Jammu & Kashmir.

The J&K High Court quashed a preventive detention order under the Public Safety Act, ruling that reliance on a 24-year-old FIR without evidence of a current threat fails the 'live and proximate link' test. The judgment reaffirms that preventive detention cannot be used as a tool for punishing past conduct without trial, safeguarding personal liberty under Article 21.