Archive · 8 Sep 2026
Allahabad High Court Quashes NSA Detention, Rebukes Noida District Magistrate
Aakriti Chaudhary was jailed after a workers’ protest in Noida.
The government accused her of encouraging violence and disturbing public order.
The Allahabad High Court examined the case and said there was not enough evidence for special detention under the National Security Act.
It said the district magistrate did not properly check the police allegations.
The court cancelled the detention order and strongly criticized the officials involved.
It also ordered Rs 5 lakh to be paid to Chaudhary.
She is still in jail because other criminal cases against her are continuing.
The court said people cannot be stopped from peacefully expressing support for workers just because officials assume trouble might occur.
The Allahabad High Court quashed Aakriti Chaudhary’s preventive detention under the National Security Act, calling the order arbitrary and unsupported by credible evidence.
The court said District Magistrate Medha Roopam passed the detention order without applying her mind and ordered that its displeasure be recorded in officials’ service records.
Authorities were ordered to pay Chaudhary Rs 5 lakh in compensation, recoverable from officials responsible for the detention, including the district magistrate.
The court said the state could not produce WhatsApp messages or video showing that Chaudhary incited violence, arson or property destruction.
Chaudhary remains in custody because she faces multiple criminal cases linked to the protest, although the NSA detention has been quashed.
- Who
- Aakriti Chaudhary; Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate Medha Roopam; the Uttar Pradesh government and police; and the Allahabad High Court.
- What
- The High Court quashed Chaudhary’s NSA detention, criticized the officials involved, ordered Rs 5 lakh compensation and directed that its displeasure be recorded in their service records.
- When
- Chaudhary was picked up on April 11, while the NSA was invoked on May 13. The protest occurred on April 13. The articles report the ruling as issued or made public on different dates.
- Where
- The protest took place in Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh; the case was decided by the Allahabad High Court.
- Why
- The court found that the detention order lacked credible supporting material, was passed without proper application of mind and infringed Chaudhary’s constitutional rights.
High Court and Chaudhary’s Position
Police and State Authorities’ Position
Evidence of incitement
High Court and Chaudhary’s Position
The court said the record contained allegations but no WhatsApp messages, videos or other credible material proving that Chaudhary incited riots, violence or property destruction.
Police and State Authorities’ Position
Police alleged that Chaudhary and Satyam Verma provoked people in different areas and were significant in instigating violence, arson and public disorder.
Purpose of detention
High Court and Chaudhary’s Position
The court said the detention appeared intended to set an example and deter people from exercising freedom of speech in support of labourers.
Police and State Authorities’ Position
The authorities treated the detention as necessary because they alleged that Chaudhary’s activities threatened public order.
Events during the protest
High Court and Chaudhary’s Position
Witnesses cited in one report said police assaulted protesters and women, and a publication’s analysis placed a circulated video at Noida’s Sector 6.
Police and State Authorities’ Position
The Gautam Buddha Nagar police commissionerate denied that the video showed the incident, saying it appeared morphed or AI-generated and possibly came from another location.
- Detention law
- The National Security Act permits preventive detention without trial for up to one year.
- Detention timeline
- Chaudhary was picked up on April 11, while the Uttar Pradesh government invoked the NSA on May 13.
- Protest
- About 40,000 to 45,000 workers gathered in Noida on April 13 to demand higher salaries.
- Court’s evidence finding
- The state did not produce a WhatsApp message or video showing Chaudhary inciting violence or destruction.
- Compensation
- The court ordered Rs 5 lakh, although Chaudhary had sought Rs 50 lakh.
- Other cases
- Chaudhary has been named in 11 FIRs; her counsel said she had secured bail in five.
- Current status
- The NSA detention was quashed, but Chaudhary remains in custody in connection with other criminal cases.
