High Court Slams 'Concocted' NSA Case, Orders Release and ₹5 Lakh Compensation for Student Activist

In a significant ruling, the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday quashed the National Security Act (NSA) detention of Aakriti Chaudhary, a 25-year-old Delhi University graduate, who had been held for nearly five months following the Noida workers' protest. The court strongly criticized the Uttar Pradesh government actions, calling the detention a 'concocted story by the state' and ordering ₹5 lakh in compensation to be recovered from the responsible officials. Chaudhary was among several activists, including journalist Satyam Verma, against whom the stringent NSA was invoked by the Uttar Pradesh Police on May 13, 2026, stemming from allegations of instigating violence during the April 2026 workers' demonstrations over wage hikes and working conditions. However, the High Court, hearing her habeas corpus petition, found significant procedural lapses in her arrest and detention, observing that the state failed to produce evidence of her inciting violence and that some alleged incidents occurred after her arrest. While her NSA detention has been overturned, Aakriti Chaudhary will remain in custody for now as she still needs to secure bail in other related cases. This ruling sets a powerful precedent against the misuse of preventive detention laws, signalling increased judicial scrutiny over such executive powers and potentially impacting other activists still detained in similar cases. The recovery of compensation from 'erring officials' also marks a notable step towards accountability.