Hyderabad: A two-judge bench of the Telangana High Court has admitted a habeas corpus petition challenging the continued preventive detention of a man held for over eight months under the Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act.
The bench, comprising Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Justice Gadi Praveen Kumar, was hearing a plea filed by Anjum Sultana Qureshi on behalf of her husband, Mohammed Illyas Qureshi, who has been detained under the law.
Delay in execution questioned
Counsel for the petitioner argued that although the detention order was issued in April 2023, it was enforced only in October 2025. The delay, it was contended, undermines the legality of the detention and renders it invalid.
The petitioner further submitted that if the detenue had misused bail granted in earlier cases, the appropriate course for the State would have been to seek cancellation of bail rather than invoking preventive detention laws.
Bench seeks justification from state
During the hearing, the judges questioned whether the alleged continuing criminal activities could be said to affect “public order”, a necessary condition for invoking the preventive detention statute. The bench asked the petitioner to establish how the detention order fails the legal test.
In response, the State informed the court that the detenue had been convicted in seven cases and was facing a total of 52 cases, including those related to cattle theft.
Taking note of the submissions, the bench directed the State to place on record detailed instructions regarding the offences relied upon to justify the detention. The matter has been posted for further hearing.
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