Guwahati, Nov. 6 -- The Gauhati High Court has criticised the Assam government's handling of criminal cases cited to justify the preventive detention of land rights activist Pranab Doley under the National Security Act (NSA).

The High Court, while quashing the preventive detention of activist Pranab Doley under the NSA, observed that Assam government had failed to disclose crucial details of his acquittals and discharge in several criminal cases cited as grounds for his detention.

In its on order on Friday (November 6 ), the Division Bench of Justice Kalyan Rai Surana and Justice Susmita Phukan Khaund observed that the sponsoring and detaining authorities appeared to have adopted a "short cut" by invoking preventive detention instead of...