Archive · 3 Sep 2026
High Court Quashes Chaudhary’s NSA Detention, Orders ₹5 Lakh Compensation
Aakriti Chaudhary was detained under a strict security law after workers protested in Noida.
Police said she helped cause violence, including arson and stone-pelting.
The court said police did not show the promised videos or other proof.
It also found problems in the records about when she was arrested.
Because of these problems, the court cancelled her detention under the National Security Act.
The judges ordered ₹5 lakh to be paid to Chaudhary.
The money will be recovered from the salaries of officials involved in her arrest.
She is still in custody because other related cases and bail requests remain unresolved.
The Allahabad High Court quashed Aakriti Chaudhary’s preventive detention under the National Security Act.
The court called the state’s case a “concocted story” and ordered ₹5 lakh compensation.
Officials from the Station House Officer to the District Magistrate will have their salaries used to recover the payment.
Police failed to produce alleged video or other evidence that Chaudhary incited violence during April 2026 wage protests in Noida.
The court found discrepancies in arrest records and said Chaudhary remains in judicial custody while seeking bail in related cases.
- Who
- The Allahabad High Court, Aakriti Chaudhary, and Uttar Pradesh police and administrative officials involved in her detention.
- What
- The court quashed Chaudhary’s National Security Act detention and ordered ₹5 lakh compensation, recoverable from officials’ salaries.
- When
- The detention followed her arrest in April 2026; the NSA was invoked in May, and the ruling was reported on September 3, 2026.
- Where
- The case concerned workers’ wage protests in Noida and was decided by the Allahabad High Court.
- Why
- The court found that the state failed to produce evidence linking Chaudhary to incitement of violence and identified discrepancies in arrest records and statutory notices.
High Court’s Findings
State’s Case
Evidence of violence
High Court’s Findings
The court said the prosecution failed to produce video footage or material evidence showing that Chaudhary incited arson, stone-pelting, mob violence, or property damage.
State’s Case
The Uttar Pradesh Police claimed it possessed strong electronic and videographic evidence that Chaudhary instigated violence.
Legality of detention
High Court’s Findings
The court held that peaceful demonstrations are part of democratic governance and that isolated violence cannot by itself justify preventive detention of an activist.
State’s Case
The state invoked the National Security Act in connection with Chaudhary’s alleged role in the Noida protests.
Arrest procedure
High Court’s Findings
The court found that police records suggested Chaudhary was taken into custody before statutory notices under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were prepared.
State’s Case
The prosecution’s records were challenged during the proceedings, and the court identified discrepancies in the stated sequence of arrest and notices.
- Detainee
- Aakriti Chaudhary, a 25-year-old Delhi University graduate
- Law invoked
- National Security Act
- Protest
- April 2026 Noida workers’ wage protests
- Detention period
- Nearly five months
- Compensation
- ₹5 lakh
- Recovery method
- Directly from the salaries of responsible police and administrative officials
- Current status
- Chaudhary remains in judicial custody pending bail applications in related cases