The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the Centre’s response on a petition by Kashmiri politician Shah Faesal to give him a copy of the lookout circular issued against him, PTI reported. Faesal has been under detention in Srinagar since August 14.

The court asked the Centre to file its reply on or before September 2. The court will hear the matter on September 3.

Faesal’s counsel said they do not know on what basis the circular was issued. He added that the circular can only prevent him from travelling but cannot justify his arrest and detention.

On Tuesday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration told the court that Faisal had been detained for trying to instigate people at the Srinagar airport against the “sovereignty and integrity of the country”, PTI reported. The administration said Faesal’s custody was not unauthorised as the detention was under an order from an executive magistrate.

On August 14, Faesal was detained at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and sent back to Kashmir, where he was held again at a makeshift detention centre at a hotel in Srinagar. Faesal was detained under the Public Safety Act. Last week, he moved the Delhi High Court saying he was detained when he was about to board a flight from the Delhi airport to go to Harvard University in the United States. Faesal had alleged that officials did not get a transit remand before they had illegally taken him back to Srinagar.

However, the Jammu and Kashmir administration told the court that Faesal did not hold a student visa. Therefore, it argued, it was inconceivable that a politician who had been so vocal against the scrapping of special status to Jammu and Kashmir would be flying to the United States. The state government also sought the dismissal of Faesal’s petition, saying that the Delhi High Court did not have territorial jurisdiction to hear the plea.

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