Moga, September 11: A court here has quashed the detention order of sitting Congress MLA Joginder Pal Jain, who had been in Faridkot District Jail since July 16 on charges under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA).

“As Jain is not wanted in any other case, he be released from custody,” the Punjab and Haryana High Court observed, according to Swarn Lata Jain, wife of Congress MLA who had filed a habeas corpus petition.

Jain was acquitted in the main case on October 29 last year by a Delhi court, she said. She added that she had sought quashing of the detention orders of her husband passed by K L Verma, the then Joint Secretary in the Union Government in 1998 under COFEPOSA. Jain was detained by the Punjab Police under the order. Jain’s wife had stated in the petition that the order passed under COFEPOSA was “illegal” and based on “vague ground”.