Public Safety Act: Former CM of J&K Omar Abdullah released

On March 24, 2020, Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah was released from detention after 7 months. He was booked under Public Safety Act and was kept under detention since August, 2020.

Highlights

When the GoI abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Government had kept several local leaders of the state under detention.

Public Safety Act, 1978

The act is a preventive detention law. Under the act, any person can be taken into custody in order to prevent them from acting harmful against the security of the state. The act applies only to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It was introduced by the then Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah.

The act was passed to stop from smuggling timber. The act is very similar to the National Security Act.

After bifurcation of Jammu Kashmir, the Public Safety Act was one of the very few acts that was retained under Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2020