HC reserves order on petition challenging Factoo’s shifting to Udhampur jail
Srinagar, Jul 09: The High Court today reserved its judgment on a contempt petition against the authorities for shifting Dr Ashiq Hussain Factoo, a separatist leader, from Srinagar to Udhapmur Jail in Jammu division.
On Monday the court reserved its judgment on a fresh contempt petition filed by Faktoo through his lawyer Mian Abdul Qayoom against the government authorities for shifting him from Central Jail Srinagar to Udhampur Jail.
The lawyer argued that the petitioner has been shifted to Udhampur jail in violation of the High Court orders and orders of the designated court under Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, (TADA), Jammu. The courts, according to the counsel, had in 2003 directed the state to lodge the petitioner in Central Jail, Srinagar.
Faktoo is the chairman of his organization ‘Muslim Deeni Mahaz’ that advocates accession of J&K with Pakistan by conducting plebiscite in the region under UN auspices.
He is also the husband of Dukhtran-e-Millat leader, Asiyah Andrabi, currently under detention in Delhi, after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) shifted her there past week.
Faktoo was a militant who served as spokesman of the Hizbul Mujahidin (HM) in early 1990s and is in jail for the past 25 years
In 1993, he was arrested and charged with the murder of H N Wanchoo, a lawyer and human rights campaigner of Kashmir, a charge denied by Faktoo.
In March 1999, he was released on bail, and was also acquitted in 2001 by a TADA Court at Jammu in the Wancho’s assassination case.
The verdict was agitated by the State government in the Supreme Court of India which sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The State government in March this year shifted Faktoo from Central Jail Srinagar to Udhampur Jail.
Rashid Paul is Associate Editor at Kashmir Images.
He can be reached at [email protected]
