SRINAGAR: The Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has directed the government to place AAP MLA from Doda Mehraj Malik’s case before the Security Review Coordination Committee (SRCC) for an assessment of his threat perception and appropriate security arrangements, according to reports appearing in the media.
Justice Sanjay Dhar, while hearing Malik’s petition seeking restoration of his security cover, directed the authorities to consider a representation already submitted by the MLA and take a decision in accordance with law.
The court ordered that Malik’s case be placed before the SRCC, which will assess his threat perception and, based on its findings, determine an appropriate level of security for him. The process has been ordered to be completed expeditiously and within six weeks.
Malik had approached the High Court after his security arrangements were reduced and his escort vehicle withdrawn. In his petition, he said that since April 28, 2026, the security cover provided to him had been curtailed without proper consideration.
The AAP legislator has also claimed that he is the only one among the 90 MLAs in Jammu and Kashmir travelling without a security escort, despite the security concerns prevailing in the militancy-affected Union Territory.
His argument before the court was that security arrangements should be determined by threat perception rather than political perception.
Malik was arrested in September last year after being booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA). He was released on April 28 this year after a court quashed his PSA detention.
Reacting to the High Court order, Malik said that he had been left with no option but to approach the judiciary.
“Court is the only way to get justice now and six weeks’ time has been given to the Home and Police department,” he said.
“This is the democracy in J&K where an elected representative has to approach courts to get equal treatment as other MLAs. All the MLAs have escorts except me,” Malik said.
Senior Additional Advocate General Monika Kohli appeared for the government, while advocate Appu Singh Slathia represented Malik.
The High Court’s order does not itself restore Malik’s security cover. Instead, it requires the government to subject his case to the established security-review process and then make arrangements commensurate with the threat assessment.
