Noida: Gautam Buddh Nagar DM (District Magistrate) Medha Roopam on Sunday approached the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court’s order directing recovery of Rs 5 lakh from her personal salary as compensation to DU student Aakriti Chaudhary.
Chaudhary was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) during a workers’ protest in Noida.
The Allahabad HC had held Chaudhary’s NSA detention illegal after her arrest during the workers’ protest in Noida in April 2026.
The High Court rejected the police's theory and issued a stern message regarding disciplinary action against officials responsible for administrative negligence while quashing the National Security Act (NSA) charges invoked against Delhi University law student Akriti Chaudhary in connection with the workers' agitation for wage hikes in the Noida industrial area.
A division bench comprising Justices Atul Sreedharan and Achal Sachdev was hearing a habeas corpus petition.
During a thorough examination of the case, the High Court found that while the state police and district administration had levelled serious allegations against the accused, they failed to present any concrete evidence or video footage to substantiate them.
It became evident to the court that Akriti Chaudhary had been taken into police custody on April 11, whereas the actual violence in the area erupted on April 13.
The bench questioned how a person already in police custody could be held responsible for subsequent acts of violence and arson. Furthermore, the notice issued under Section 130 of the BNSS was found to be a mere formality prepared after the arrest.
The court termed the district administration's invocation of the NSA as excessively harsh and irresponsible. The High Court clarified that stringent preventive detention laws cannot be used as a "tool" to deny a citizen their ordinary right to bail. If the state machinery infringes upon a citizen's personal liberty (Article 21) based solely on its own opinions and conjectures without concrete evidence, the "courts will not remain mute spectators", the court said.
The court allowed the petition and directed the state government to pay compensation of Rs 5 lakh.
The High Court specifically emphasised that this compensation amount would not be paid from public funds but would instead be recovered from the salaries of all responsible officials, including the District Magistrate (Gautam Buddha Nagar) who made the "arbitrary decision", the Station House Officer (SHO) who prepared the initial report, and other concerned police officers.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
