‘I continue to be under house arrest; now a lock has been put on my gate from inside also’: Saifuddin Soz

Former Union Minister Prof. Saifuddin Soz on Monday said that he continued to be under house arrest.

“I have already explained my position that I continue to be under house arrest. The Supreme Court was told by Govt. on 30th July, 2020 that I was a free man. I had categorically stated that the Govt. had made a false statement before the Supreme Court and outside too. I had rebutted the false statement that very day and subsequently also, but the Govt. continued to spread the falsehood, rather unnecessarily,” he said in a media statement.

“I saw a change having taken place today in respect of myself being under house arrest and it was that the main gate of my house has now been locked from inside, also!” he said.

“Certain observers from outside the state have been asking as to why the Supreme Court allowed narration of lies in its courtroom. To that question, I can only say that the country’s judicial system can take notice of all such situations,” he added.

It may be recalled that the Jammu and Kashmir Administration contended in the Supreme Court that the senior Congress leader was neither detained nor put under house arrest after abrogation of Article 370.

“There is no restriction on movement of Prof Saifuddin Soz to any place, subject to security clearance which is contingent upon law and order and security situation of that area… Prof Soz has never been placed under any detention, as alleged," the affidavit by Special Secretary, Home has stated in the court.

It added no question arises of giving a copy of the detention order or reasons to Soz and his family when "no such order has ever been passed" by any authority in J&K.