Delhi Police briefly detain AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar; HC case closed after release

Delhi Police detained Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kuldeep Kumar in a pre-dawn operation on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, triggering a habeas corpus petition in the Delhi High Court that was closed hours later following his release. The MLA was taken into preventive custody from his residence at approximately 4:00 AM, according to court documents, and was freed at around 3:48 PM the same day.

The detention occurred as Kumar had been leading a protest demanding compensation for the murder of a sanitation worker. His legal team stated that around 20 plainclothes policemen picked up the MLA from his home, and efforts by his family to contact authorities throughout the day were unsuccessful. Senior Advocate Shadan Farasat, representing the petitioner, urgently mentioned the case before a bench led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, prompting the court to schedule a hearing for that afternoon.

Before the case could be fully argued, authorities conveyed Kumar's release to the court. The police informed the bench that the MLA had been taken into preventive detention but was subsequently released. Court records formalized this information. Despite the petition becoming moot upon the MLA's...