Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Monday rejected a plea from Maulana Mufti Salman Azhari, who challenged a detention order issued against him under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA) by the Junagadh district collector in February.

The PASA was invoked following Azhari’s arrest for allegedly delivering hate speeches in three separate incidents in Junagadh, Kutch, and Aravalli districts in January. The detention order under PASA was issued after he received bail in the third case.

During the hearing, the state government pointed out that Azhari had not submitted any request to the PASA Advisory Board to revoke the order; instead, his brother had made a representation along with a supporter.

After considering the arguments, the bench of Justice Ilesh Vora and Justice Vimal Vyas dismissed Azhari’s petition, stating, “We have no hesitation in concluding that the evidence on record is sufficient to determine that the alleged prejudicial activities of the detenue have either adversely affected or are likely to adversely affect the maintenance of public order as defined in Section 4(3) of the Act.”

The court also rejected his claim of being denied the opportunity to represent himself properly, affirming that he had exercised his right to submit a representation. DeshGujarat