Allahabad High Court quashes NSA detention of student, orders compensation

The Allahabad High Court has quashed the National Security Act (NSA) detention of Delhi University student Akriti Chaudhary, who was held in connection with a workers' protest in Noida. The court criticized the Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate, Medha Roopam, describing her conduct as “worthy of derision” and “despotic,” noting that the detention was based on speculative allegations without concrete evidence. The court ordered ₹5 lakh in compensation for Chaudhary, directing that the amount be recovered from the salaries of the responsible officials, including the District Magistrate and the local Station House Officer.

In a separate legal development, the Supreme Court of India is reviewing the legality of using custodial confessions as the basis for preventive detention under the NSA. The case involves Mulla Afroz, who was detained following the 2024 Sambhal violence. The court questioned whether a confession made while in police custody can satisfy the “subjective satisfaction” required for such detention orders, emphasizing that preventive detention must be based on credible material rather than being used as a tool to bypass ordinary legal processes.