One of the four Sikh women alleged to have been converted to Islam by force had approached the Jammu and Kashmir high court seeking protection from any coercive action by her family and the police, saying she changed her religion and married a Muslim man willingly.
The detenues are likely to be released on Saturday as some of them are lodged in prisons located outside the union territory in places like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, they said.
The Supreme Court of India on Friday said it was satisfied with the report of the Juvenile Justice Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir high court which said that no minors were detained in jails in the erstwhile state post the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370. The apex court, after perusing the committee's report, said that four high court judges visited all the jails in J&K and they have clearly stated that no minors have been illegally detained there.
The HC also declined the plea to prosecute the officers who ordered use of pellet guns or fired them.
The state government pointed accusing fingers at separatists, saying they had started the "era of destruction" in Kashmir but were now trying to find an escape route.
When the matter came up for hearing before the top court on Tuesday, the bench said that it has received a report from the Juvenile Justice Committee of the high court, in which the averments regarding alleged detention of minors have been denied.
The PDP led by former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has decided to stay away from the delimitation process, saying the body lacks 'constitutional and legal mandate' and is part of the overall process of political disempowerment of people of Jammu and Kashmir.
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