Jammu and Kashmir High Court upholds PSA detention of youth in Krishna Dhaba killing case

SRINAGAR, May 9, 2026 — The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has upheld the preventive detention of an 18-year-old accused in the 2021 killing of Akash Mehra, the owner of the popular Krishna Dhaba in Srinagar.

Justice Rahul Bharti dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by the father of the detainee, which challenged the detention order issued under the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act.

The court maintained that the detention, originally ordered by the District Magistrate Pulwama in April 2025, was legally sustainable given the gravity of the allegations involving activities prejudicial to the security of the Union Territory.

The legal proceedings revealed that the accused was allegedly in contact with militant handlers via social media and played a role in planning the February 2021 attack, where associates opened fire on Mehra at his restaurant.

Although the accused was a juvenile at the time and was initially granted bail from a juvenile home, authorities alleged that he later resumed subversive activities as an over-ground worker for proscribed outfits.

The court remarked that the shooting was not an ordinary crime but a targeted terror act designed to instill fear in a high-traffic tourist area, underscoring that the suspect’s age could not serve as a mitigating factor against such security threats.In reaching the decision to dismiss the meritless petition, the High Court noted that the detainee had not denied his associations with known militants in his representations.

The judgment also referenced prior findings describing the incident as part of a larger conspiracy involving handlers based across the border. By upholding the Public Safety Act order, the court reinforced the necessity of preventive measures in cases where individuals are suspected of involvement in terror-related conspiracies that jeopardize regional peace and safety.