Allahabad HC quashes NSA detention of student, calls case ‘concocted story’

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday (September 2, 2026) quashed the detention of Delhi University law student Akriti Chaudhary under the National Security Act (NSA). The 25-year-old has spent nearly five months in custody over the workers’ protest in Noida in April this year.

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A Bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev allowed Ms. Chaudhary’s habeas corpus plea and ordered her immediate release, unless she was required in another case. The court flagged discrepancies in the arrest notice and called the State’s version a “concocted story”.

Speaking to The Hindu, advocate Charlie Prakash, who represented Ms. Chaudhary along with senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, confirmed that the court has quashed the detention. “The court found major inconsistencies in the State’s account of her arrest and detention. The court has also asked the DM Noida to pay her compensation of ₹5 lakh,” he added.

A detailed order in the matter is awaited.

Ms. Chaudhary was among several activists arrested in cases related to the protest held between April 10 and 18, during which industrial and contractual workers demanded salary hikes and parity with wages paid in neighbouring Haryana. On April 13, the protest had turned violent and roads were blocked.

The Uttar Pradesh Police invoked the NSA against Ms. Chaudhary a month later and alleged that she had instigated protesters to engage in stone-pelting and arson. During a press conference, police claimed to have “strong electronic and videographic evidence” against her.

In her petition, Ms. Chaudhary argued that she was already in custody before the violence began on April 13. She said that there was no factual basis for her detention, and the process leading to her preventive detention was procedurally and substantively flawed.

The State had submitted in the court that Ms. Chaudhary was arrested at 10:56 a.m. on April 12 and was issued a warning notice under Section 130 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Justice Sreedharan questioned why no showcause notice was issued before the warning.

The State accepted that no notice was served under Section 126. The court then called for the police’s general diary, which showed that Ms. Chaudhary was arrested before the notice was prepared. The court asked whether she had been produced before a magistrate before the arrest and asked for evidence of incitement.

The State told the court that protesters gathered at the site on April 11, but the court pointed out that, according to police records, no violence took place that day. The State also failed to submit the video footage showing Ms. Chaudhary allegedly provoking protesters to throw stones or set vehicles on fire.