AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has taken a jibe at Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the latter’s remarks on the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA). Quoting Abdullah’s remarks at a presser, Owaisi mentioned that the PSA was introduced by J&K CM’s grandfather Sheikh Abdullah, and multiple people of the same family served the state but did not repeal it.
Omar Abdullah recently said that his party has said in the manifesto that they would remove the PSA once in power, but they cannot do so. “…We said in the manifesto that we would remove the Public Safety and Security Act (PSA) from Jammu and Kashmir. To remove it, we must have statehood. Security, law and order, all these things should be under the control of the elected government,” he said.
#WATCH | Srinagar | Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah says, "…We said in the manifesto that we would remove the Public Safety and Security Act (PSA) from Jammu and Kashmir. To remove it, we must have statehood. Security, law and order, all these things should be under the… pic.twitter.com/wjJwkf0d3m
— ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2025
“The day these things are ours, I won’t even wait for the assembly session. We will remove the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) through an ordinance,” Omar Abdullah added.
Owaisi’s reminder to Abdullah
Quoting the J&K CM’s statement, Owaisi said the Public Safety Act, 1978 (PSA) was introduced by Sheikh Abdullah in 1978 to deal with smuggling.
“Farooq Abdullah, G. M. Shah,Mufti Sayeed, GN Azad, Omar Abdullah & Mehbooba Mufti have all been CMs of J&K. They could have easily repealed PSA & prevented untold suffering and human rights violations,” he said.
The Public Safety Act, 1978 (PSA) was introduced by Sheikh Abdullah in 1978 to deal with smuggling. Farooq Abdullah, G. M. Shah,Mufti Sayeed, GN Azad, Omar Abdullah & Mehbooba Mufti have all been CMs of J&K. They could have easily repealed PSA & prevented untold… https://t.co/7qwoZr3NnV
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) October 18, 2025
“The law has been misused by virtually every elected CM & unelected Governors. Over 20,000 people have been jailed since 1978 without criminal charges, fair trials or even a proper appeals process. Some detentions were extended for up to 7-12 years. One separatist was detained under the PSA and, when he was later needed, he was served with a court warrant and granted bail. Now there is a truncated elected govt, and it has dawned on it to do away with the PSA,” the Hyderabad MP added.
“Sab kuch luta ke hosh mein aaye to kya kiya, Din mein agar chiragh jalaye to kya kiya,” Owaisi added.
What is PSA?
The Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), 1978 is a preventive detention law, similar to the National Security Act (NSA). Under this, a person is taken into custody to prevent him or her from acting in any manner that is prejudicial to “the security of the state or the maintenance of the public order”.
The PSA can be enforced by an administrative order passed either by Divisional Commissioner or the District Magistrate and not by a detention order by police. There need not be any charges on someone to be detained under PSA, and no trial.
It can be imposed on a person immediately, and the person, unlike other cases, need not be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours of the detention.
The detention can only be challenged in a High Court or the Supreme Court.
