A fundamental rights petition has been filed before the Supreme Court challenging the arrest and detention of former State Intelligence Service (SIS) chief Major General (Retd.) Suresh Sallay under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
The petition was filed by a retired Air Force officer, naming the Minister of Defence, the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as respondents.
The petitioner argued that the PTA can only be applied to individuals involved in activities that undermine the unity and territorial integrity of the country or those who directly or indirectly support the unlawful overthrow of a constitutionally elected government.
However, the petitioner stated that no such charges have been filed against the former head of the State Intelligence Service.
Major General (Retd.) Suresh Sallay was arrested by CID officers on February 25 in connection with investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. Authorities later obtained approval to detain him for 90 days under the provisions of the PTA.
