Allahabad High Court quashed the NSA detention of Delhi University graduate Aakriti Chaudhary, awarded ₹5 lakh compensation and criticised official overreach.
The Allahabad High Court has quashed the preventive detention of Delhi University graduate and student activist Aakriti Chaudhary under the National Security Act, finding that authorities lacked credible material to justify using the stringent law against her.
Chaudhary was detained following her alleged involvement in an April 2026 protest supporting workers’ rights in Noida. The administration claimed that her activities threatened public order, but the court found no evidence that she had encouraged violence or posed a threat to national security.
A division bench comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev observed that preventive detention cannot be based merely on assumptions, allegations or conjecture. Authorities must possess reliable material showing that detention is necessary to prevent a likely disturbance of public order or harm to national security.
The court strongly criticised the Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate for failing to examine the police report and supporting material carefully. It concluded that officials had apparently sought to make an example of Chaudhary and discourage others from publicly supporting labourers.
The Uttar Pradesh government was directed to pay Chaudhary ₹5 lakh as compensation for the violation of her constitutional rights. The amount is to be recovered from the salaries of the District Magistrate and other officers found responsible, extending down to the concerned station house officer. The court also directed that its displeasure be recorded in the District Magistrate’s service records.
Emphasising the constitutional protection available to peaceful assembly and expression, the bench warned that arbitrary administrative action could turn Uttar Pradesh into an “Orwellian dystopia.” It reminded civil servants that their primary duty is to the Constitution rather than the political executive.
The ruling concerns the validity of Chaudhary’s NSA detention. Any separate criminal proceedings arising from the protest remain subject to their own legal process.
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