Supreme Court of India dedicates Sambhal NSA judgment to late law clerk

A bench of the Supreme Court of India, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu, dedicated a judgment to the memory of Ritwik Deswal, a law clerk and research associate who passed away shortly before his 27th birthday.

The judgment, which addressed a challenge to a preventive detention order under the National Security Act (NSA) related to the Sambhal violence, opened with an unconventional “In Memoriam” tribute. Justice Datta noted that Deswal’s research contributed significantly to the decision, describing the ruling as a “final collaboration” that bears the “quiet and indelible imprint” of his work.

In the legal ruling itself, the Court found the detention of Mulla Afroz to be unlawful and quashed the order. The bench also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay ₹10 lakh in costs.