SC refuses to pass order on Vaiko\'s habeas corpus plea on Farooq Abdullah

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to pass an order on the habeas corpus petition filed by Rajya Sabha lawmaker Vaiko, seeking production of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah before it.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi refused to pass an order and observed that "nothing survived in the matter" as Abdullah has already been detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

On September 16, hours before the hearing in Vaiko's plea, the central government detained Abdullah under the PSA, which enables detention without a trial for up to two years.

Vaiko, in his petition, asserted that Abdullah was to attend the 111th birth anniversary celebration of former Tamil Nadu chief minister C N Annadurai on September 15, but could not be contacted.

Habeas corpus petition seeks a person under arrest to be brought before a court, especially to secure their release, unless lawful grounds are shown for their detention.

The petition was filed after the central government's diluted Article 370, which led to the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special constitutional status and allegedly took into custody various political leaders, including Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti.

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