The detention of former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and senior National Conference (NC) leader Ali Mohammad Sagar under Public Safety Act (PSA) was on Tuesday extended by three months.

PSA detention of senior PDP leader and uncle of Ms Mufti, Sartaj Madani, was also extended by another three months.

The extension of the detention of the trio comes hours before their present term under the PSA was to expire. In brief orders by the Home Department of the Jammu and Kashmir administration, the extension of PSA was made under the public order provisions of the act.

Ms Mufti was on April 7 shifted from a Srinagar sub-jail to her official residence, where she remained detained under PSA. She was detained at his official residence after it was converted into a sub-jail. Meanwhile, Mr Sagar and Mr Madani remained lodged in a government accommodation at Gupkar road.

Confirming the extension of detention of Mr Sagar, former chief minister and NC Vice President Omar Abdullah said that the General Secretary of NC has also had his PSA extended by a further 3 months. “I’m struggling to get my head around the decision & the logic behind it because it smacks of vindictiveness & nothing else. New Delhi needed to make friends in J&K but is doing the opposite,” Mr Abdullah tweeted.

Mr Abdullah said it is unbelievably cruel and retrograde decision to extend Ms Mufti’s detention. “Nothing she has done or said in any way justifies the way the Indian state has treated her and the others detained,” Mr Abdullah wrote on twitter.

The PDP president, Omar Abdullah and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, besides dozens of mainstream leaders, including ex-ministers, were detained on August 5, 2019, when centre abrogated Article 370 and Article 35 A, besides bifurcated the state into two Union Territories. Ms Mufti was later booked under the PSA and stayed in solitary confinement for over eight months.

Omar Abdullah was released in March after about eight month detention following revocation of PSA which was slapped against him. Dr Farooq, who is MP from Srinagar, was also released in March after remaining under detention for about seven months. The NC president was released after his PSA was revoked by the J&K administration. Some other people lodged in different jails outside J&K were released last month amid COVID-19 outbreak.

However, several senior leaders, including Mr Sagar, Mr Madni, IAS officer turned politician Shah Faesal and PDP leader Naeem Akhtar, remained detained under PSA.