Archive · 3 Sep 2026
High Court Quashes Aakriti Chaudhary Detention, Sparks Political Questions
Aakriti Chaudhary was jailed after a workers’ protest in Noida.
The government said she encouraged protesters to throw stones and set things on fire.
A court said the government had not shown enough proof, such as video footage.
The court also found problems with the legal notice used for her detention.
It cancelled the detention order and ordered compensation of Rs 5 lakh.
She was to be released unless she was needed in another case.
Police said her release might not happen immediately because other cases were still pending.
Opposition leaders used the ruling to question who had ordered the action.
The Allahabad High Court quashed cultural activist Aakriti Chaudhary’s detention under the National Security Act.
The court called the state’s account of her alleged role in the protest a “concocted” story.
It ordered her immediate release if she was not wanted in another case and awarded Rs 5 lakh compensation.
The compensation is to be recovered from the salary of the Gautam Buddh Nagar district magistrate.
Akhilesh Yadav and the CPI(ML) criticized the Uttar Pradesh government and sought further releases and case withdrawals.
- Who
- Cultural activist Aakriti Chaudhary was detained; the Uttar Pradesh government defended the detention, while Akhilesh Yadav and the CPI(ML) criticized it.
- What
- The Allahabad High Court quashed Chaudhary’s detention under the National Security Act and ordered compensation.
- When
- The court issued its order on Wednesday; the report was dated September 3.
- Where
- The case concerned the Noida workers’ protest and Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.
- Why
- The court found inadequate supporting material, procedural defects, and a state account it described as “concocted.”
Court and Government Critics
State Authorities
Evidence for the detention
Court and Government Critics
The court said the state had not produced proper material, especially video footage, to support its allegation that Chaudhary instigated violence.
State Authorities
The state alleged that Chaudhary encouraged protesters to engage in arson and stone-pelting.
Legality of the proceedings
Court and Government Critics
The court found that the required notice was not properly served and that the General Diary appeared to show she had been arrested before the notice was prepared.
State Authorities
The state sought additional time to produce video footage, but the court declined because Chaudhary had already spent five months in jail.
Wider accountability
Court and Government Critics
Akhilesh Yadav asked who had directed the alleged retaliatory action, while the CPI(ML) called for Satyam Verma’s release and withdrawal of protest-related FIRs.
State Authorities
Police officials said other pending cases could delay Chaudhary’s release despite the court’s detention ruling.
- Detainee
- Aakriti Chaudhary, a 25-year-old Delhi University history graduate
- Detention law
- National Security Act
- Court ruling
- The Allahabad High Court quashed the detention and allowed her habeas corpus petition
- Compensation
- Rs 5 lakh, to be recovered from the Gautam Buddh Nagar district magistrate’s salary
- Time in custody
- The court noted that Chaudhary had already spent five months in jail
- State allegation
- The state alleged that Chaudhary instigated protesters to commit arson and stone-pelting
- Other cases
- Police said her release might not be immediate because other cases related to the episode were pending