By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: Prominent human rights defender Khurram Parvez was again detained on Tuesday evening by Kupwara police even after a local court in Srinagar set aside a detention order issued by executive magistrate and had passed directions for his immediate release.
According to JKCCS legal team who along with his family had rushed to Kupwara sub-jail to serve the court order to the concerned officials, police personnel from Kupwara police station arrived and refused to allow his release.
“Police continue to detain him in absolute disregard for the court order. In its order, the session’s judge declared that Khurram is ordered to be set free. Yet, the police is detaining him against his will and not giving any reason for his detention,” said the JKCCS legal team.
Parvez, who is the Chairperson of Asian Federation Against involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and Program Coordinator of JKCCS, was initially detained by Kothi Bagh Police Station last week and later arrested on sections 107 and 151 of CrPC and got him shifted to Kupwara sub-jail after being remanded by an executive magistrate in Srinagar to police custody for ten days which was later reduced to five days.
Earlier in the day, the case of Parvez came for hearing before Principal District and Sessions Judge Srinagar Rashid Ali Dar.
The session judge asked the Executive Magistrate Mohammad Amin Najar to respond to the submission of counsels of Parvez that he wasn’t produced before him.
He claimed that, he was told that Pavez was handicapped and he was in jeep.
The court order says that, “the learned magistrate not noted anything in the impugned order regarding his endeavor for enquiring into the truth of the information received by him.”
“The order passed by learned magistrate is not in accordance with law.Same is liable to be set aside and is set aside accordingly.The petitioner is ordered to be set free,” reads the court order.
Importantly, last week, Parvez, was detained at Indira Gandhi International airport in Delhi and prevented from boarding the plane to Geneva, Switzerland where he was supposed to attend the ongoing UN Human Rights Council session.
Parvez along with Mary Aileen Diez Bacalso, Adv. Parvez Imroz, Adv. Kartik Murukutla and Ron de Vera were part of the AFAD & JKCCS delegation which was scheduled to visit Geneva from 14th to 24th September to attend the 33rd UN Human Rights Council session.
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