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News Topical, Digital Desk : The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has upheld the preventive detention of a Bandipora girl accused of being an overground worker (OGW) and supporter of the banned terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The court dismissed Shaista Manzoor's appeal against the Public Safety Act (PSA) order, stating that her alleged activities were prejudicial to the security of the Union Territory.
The division bench of Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal found no merit in Maqbool's challenge and ruled that the District Magistrate, Bandipora, had issued the detention order only after a thorough investigation and all procedural safeguards were followed.
The girl was in close contact with LeT operatives.
According to news agency Kashmir.com (KDC), the bench said, "The sufficiency of the grounds cannot be debated in court." The court upheld the District Magistrate's finding that preventive detention was necessary. According to the PSA dossier, Shaista was not only in close contact with Lashkar operatives, but also had a 'love affair' with terrorist Musaib Lakhvi. Musaib was the nephew of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and one of the masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Shaista also had links with local and foreign terrorists.
Before his death, Musaib was reportedly active between 2016 and 2018 and carried out several terrorist attacks in the Hajin and Sumbal areas of North Kashmir. The dossier also reveals that Shaista was in contact with several local and foreign terrorists and was known by several aliases, including "Chhoti Behan."
She used to run her Facebook account using the ID 'Lakhvi Musaib'.
He allegedly operated a Facebook account under the ID "Lakhvi Musaib," through which terrorists frequently communicated with him. After Musaib's death, he allegedly contacted Pakistan-based handlers Abu Zahran and Abu Hans and provided them with information about the movements of political leaders and protected individuals via encrypted social media applications and VPNs.
The terrorist activities of the Bandipora girl were secret!
Officials said her activities were secretive and hidden, making them difficult for law enforcement agencies to detect. "Maqbool was receiving direct instructions from LeT handlers to assist terrorists in their work, including planning or assisting in assassinations," the dossier said.
In its judgment, the bench also cited the Supreme Court's observations in Joy Kitty Joseph v. Union of India (2025 INSC 327), which had emphasized that the power to form an opinion on detention rests solely with the authorised authority.
Citing the Supreme Court's decision
Citing a Supreme Court decision, the court stated, "The government or authorized officer has the authority to form an opinion on detention. The law only addresses their satisfaction, and courts are not designated as appellate authorities." The court further stated that while courts do not review the adequacy of the grounds for detention, this decision should be made with utmost caution to avoid mistakes.
Citing this precedent, the High Court reiterated that judicial review cannot substitute the personal satisfaction of the detaining authority unless the order was issued without due deliberation. Since, in this case, the record demonstrated detailed investigation and justification, the Court declined to interfere.
After reviewing the detention records and the findings of the advisory board, the High Court held that his detention was legally valid under the Public Safety Act, 1978. Dismissing the appeal, the bench said, "The grounds of detention were neither vague nor equivocal and concluded that the common law was insufficient to restrain the detainee from his evil activities."
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