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Jailed journalist Fahad Shah booked under Public Safety Act

Journalist and editor of the Kashmir Walla Fahad Shah was booked under the Public Safety Act on Monday.

His lawyer Umair Ronga tweeted that the authorities invoked the PSA after "sensing that the honourable Special Court may grant the bail".

Shah's bail application was scheduled to be heard today. He had been granted bail twice but was arrested immediately after in two separate FIRs. Under the Public Safety Act, a person can be detained without trial for up to two years.

Shah was first arrested in Pulwama on February 4 for sharing "anti-national" content on social media. The "content" in question was allegedly a Pulwama-based family’s claims that their son, who was killed in an encounter last week, was innocent; Shah's portal had filed a report on the family's version.

The police claimed this was ""tantamount to glorifying the terrorist activities and causing dent to the image of law enforcing agencies besides causing ill-will and disaffection against the country".

Also Read: Fahad Shah’s arrest reveals a strange pattern in how Kashmir journalists are targeted