Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has been detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA). It is to be noted that the veteran National Conference leader has been kept under house arrest ince August 5 when the Centre abrogated Article 370, which granted special status to erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The decision to detain Farooq Abdullah was taken on Sundaynight. Under PSA, the government gets the power to detain a person for upto 2 years without a trial. Though Farooq Abdullah has been detained under PSA,there will be no bar on him meeting relatives and friends at his Srinagar  residence, which has been converted into a subsidiary jail.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice tothe Centre and Jammu and Kashmir administration seeking response on a pleafiled by MDMK leader Vaiko seeking release of Farooq Abdullah. A bench of ChiefJustice Ranjan Gogoi and justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer issued notice andsaid that it will next hear this matter on September 30.

Vaiko, who said he is a close friend of Abdullah for thepast four decades, has contended that constitutional rights conferred on theNational Conference leader had been deprived of on account of "illegaldetention without any authority of law".

In his plea, Vaiko has said that the veteran leader had agreed to attend the function to mark 111th birth anniversary of Annadurai inChennai on September 15 but he has been unable to get in touch with Farooq Abdullah because he has been under illegal detention since August 5. Vaiko alsomentioned in his petition that he had also urged the Jammu and Kashmiradministration to allow him to meet the National Conference leader but he did not receive any reply from their side. Vaiko also urged the SC to issue anotice to the Centre and order the government to release Farooq Abdullah from'illegal' detention.