J&K high court bar association chairman detained under PSA

Srinagar: In a late-night operation, Jammu and Kashmir police detained Nazir Ahmad Ronga, chairman of the J&K High Court Bar Association, from his residence in Srinagar.

The family learned of the detention the next morning, stating that Ronga had been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA). His son, Umair Ronga, who is also an advocate, expressed the family's shock online, revealing that the police arrived without an arrest warrant, citing orders from higher authorities. "This morning, when he was taken for a medical check-up, the police informed us that he has been booked under the PSA and will be detained in a jail in Jammu," Umair said. The PSA allows for detention without trial for up to one year, and the family has not been informed about the specific grounds for Ronga's detention. The police have not provided any official comments on the matter. Nazir Ahmad Ronga, who has served multiple terms as the president of the High Court Bar Association, has been the acting chairman since 2020. The association's elections, due since 2019, have been repeatedly postponed due to various political developments, including the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and subsequent curfews. Ronga's detention comes shortly after the Election Committee of the Bar Association initiated the process for upcoming elections, which the government has once again halted. The Bar Association, with approximately 3,000 members, recently indicated it had removed contentious references from its constitution that previously labeled Kashmir as a disputed region.