Mehbooba Mufti no more under detention: Report

Srinagar : Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has been released by the government on Tuesday; she was under detention for around 14 months since August 2019 when the government scrapped Article 370 and made Ladakh and J&K separate Union Territories.

"Ms Mehbooba Mufti being released," Rohit Kansal, J&K Principal Secretary, tweeted at 9.17 pm.

Interestingly, the release comes just before the deadline to end her detention, set by Supreme Court, was set to expire. Her daughter Iltija Mufti with a habeas corpus petition had challenged her illegal detention in the top court.

On September 29 the court had questioned the central and J&K governments, asking: "How long can Mehbooba Mufti be kept in custody?" The J&K administration was given two weeks - till October 14 - to explain how long they intended to do so.

Minutes after Mehbooba Mufti's detention ended on Tuesday night, her daughter tweeted from her mother's Twitter account and wrote, "As Ms Mufti's illegal detention finally comes to an end, I'd like to thank everybody who supported me in these tough times. I owe a debt of gratitude to you all. This is Iltija signing off. May Allah protect you". 

Hundreds of politicians, including Ms Mufti and two other former chief ministers - Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar - were detained or arrested as part of a massive clampdown by the centre to quell backlash over its Article 370 decision.