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Omar Abdullah
Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir

Omar Abdullah

Chief Minister of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir since 16 October 2024, and earlier Chief Minister of the state from 2009 to 2015. Detained for over seven months after August 2019, he declared no criminal cases in 2024.

Party
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC)
Born
10 March 1970, Rochford, Essex, England
Education (declared)
BCom, Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai
In current post since
16 October 2024
Seat
Ganderbal, Ganderbal (Legislative Assembly)

Omar Abdullah is the only son of Farooq Abdullah, a former Chief Minister of the state, and is vice president of the National Conference. He was born in England in 1970 and studied commerce in Mumbai.

Delhi and Srinagar

He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Srinagar in 1998 and served as a Union minister of state, first for commerce and industry and then for external affairs, before resigning in December 2002. He became Chief Minister of the state on 5 January 2009, leading a coalition with the Congress, and served until January 2015.

Detention

When the government revoked Article 370 in August 2019, he was placed under preventive detention. In February 2020, six months later, he was booked under the Public Safety Act. His sister challenged the order in the Supreme Court. The administration revoked it on 24 March 2020 and he was released.

Chief Minister again

In the 2024 assembly election he won Ganderbal and was sworn in on 16 October 2024. His 2024 affidavit declares no criminal cases, no liabilities and movable assets of about Rs 55 lakh.

Career at a glance

  1. 1998Elected to the Lok Sabha from Srinagar
  2. 1999Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry
  3. 2001Minister of State for External Affairs, until December 2002
  4. Jan 2009Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, in coalition with the Congress, until January 2015
  5. Aug 2019Detained after the revocation of Article 370
  6. Feb 2020Booked under the Public Safety Act; released on 24 March
  7. Oct 2024Wins Ganderbal; sworn in as Chief Minister of the union territory

Cases and allegations

An allegation, FIR or chargesheet is not proof of guilt. Only a court can convict, and convictions can be overturned on appeal. Status is as last checked on 2 Nov 2026.

Detention under the Public Safety Act, 2019 to 2020Order revoked, 24 March 2020

He was placed in preventive detention on the night of 4 to 5 August 2019 under Section 107 of the CrPC, as Article 370 was revoked. On 6 February 2020 he was booked under the Public Safety Act. The order was revoked and he was released on 24 March 2020. Source

Supreme Court challenge to the detention, 2020Notice issued; overtaken by his release

His sister, Sara Abdullah Pilot, challenged the Public Safety Act order in the Supreme Court in February 2020, and the court issued notice to the Jammu and Kashmir administration. Source

The record card

Facts only, each from a public record. This is not a rating. Affidavit figures are the leader's own sworn declarations at the time of filing.

Declared criminal cases0Jammu and Kashmir 2024 affidavit, GanderbalSource
ConvictionsNone declared2024 affidavitSource
Declared assetsRs 55.2 lakh2024, all movable; no immovable property and no liabilities declaredSource
Months in detention, 2019 to 2020About 7.55 August 2019 to 24 March 2020Source

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Sources

  1. Election affidavit, Jammu and Kashmir 2024, Ganderbal (ADR MyNeta archive)
  2. Bar and Bench, Omar Abdullah's detention challenged in Supreme Court by sister (10 Feb 2020)
  3. Zee News, Omar Abdullah to take oath as Chief Minister on 16 October (14 Oct 2024)
  4. Wikipedia, Omar Abdullah (career and detention)

Photo: Prime Minister's Office, GODL-India, via Wikimedia Commons.

This profile is built only from public records and attributed reports; read how we make these profiles. If anything here is wrong or out of date, or if you are Omar Abdullah's office and want to respond, write to devv@bharatverseh.com. Every correction is listed in our corrections log.