The Allahabad High Court (HC) on Tuesday came down heavily over the detention of a 24-year-old law student enrolled at Delhi University (DU) and activist Akriti Chaudhary, sharply criticising the conduct of the Noida District Magistrate (DM) in issuing orders for her incarceration. 

A bench of the HC, comprising Justices Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev issued an order last week, holding that Chaudhary’s detention under the National Security Act (NSA) violated her fundamental right under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The bench found that the detention order and the grounds cited for it were ‘devoid of material’ and were passed without ‘application of mind.’

Allahabad HC against ‘Orwellian Dystopia’

The HC warned that unchecked bureaucratic overreach could turn Uttar Pradesh into an ‘Orwellian Dystopia’ and awarded the activist Rs 5 lakh in compensation. In an unusual directive, the court directed that the compensation be recovered personally from the salaries of the District Magistrate (DM) and other officers responsible for the unlawful detention, “right down to the SHO.’

Notably, the police had arrested Chaudhary in connection with a workers’ protest in Noida in April 2026. The cops had invoked the NSA against Chaudhary and fellow activist Satyam Verma. 

The court ruled that when civil liberties are violated through excesses or illegalities without adequate cause or due process, the judiciary can pass ‘harsh orders’ to compensate citizens who have been wronged. 

DM’s conduct worthy of decision

The Bench took exception to Gautam Buddha Nagar’s District Magistrate Medha Roopam, who had passed the impugned order. According to reports, the bench asserted, “The conduct of the District Magistrate Gautam Buddha Nagar who passed the impugned order, is worthy of derision,” the court observed.” 

It added that the DM was expected to examine the material on record ‘threadbare’ before deciding whether the stringent provisions of the NSA were warranted in the case. 

The bench highlighted that Chaudhary was a female student activist with no previous criminal record, adding that the material presented before it indicated that that DM desired to set an example out of Choudhary and deter others from exercising their right to freedom of speech and expression in public spaces in support of labourers. 

NSA cannot substitute ordinary criminal law

The HC reiterated that the NSA is an exceptional law and cannot be deployed as a substitute for ordinary criminal law. 

It further observed that the grounds cited for Chaudhary’s detention were ‘repetitive, speculative and are only opinion based,’ with no evidence or material to substantiate those opinions. 

The court’s verdict set aside the NSA detention while imposing personal financial consequences on officials responsible for the unlawful action.