NA Ronga’s appeal in the Supreme Court, meanwhile, is scheduled to be heard on September 18. He would then have been in custody for over two months. As an interim measure, his family wants him moved to a prison closer to home, so the septuagenarian can continue to receive medical treatment for his blood pressure and stomach-related ailments.

In the petition, the family has also asked for Rs 60 lakh as compensation from the authorities for “illegally imprisoning” Ronga, “inflicting him with torture” and “violating his fundamental right to life and liberty”. But even if the court is inclined to grant him relief, there’s no way to know if the road ahead won’t be rocky.

A 2011 Amnesty International report suggests that the J&K authorities “consistently counteract” the High Court’s release order by re-arresting an individual under a variety of pretexts. This was illustrated as recently as in the case of Ali Mohammad Lone, where every time the court overturned one arrest warrant, he was slapped with another. His trials had been going on for almost five years.

Still, Umair remains hopeful.

(With input from The Hindu, The Wire, The Indian Express and LiveLaw.)