Noida DM case: Supreme Court says quashing of NSA detention untouched

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday revised its interim order in the challenge filed by Gautam Buddha Nagar district magistrate Medha Roopam against an Allahabad High Court verdict in the National Security Act detention case of Delhi University student Akriti Chaudhary, making it clear that the stay is confined to the high court's strictures against the officer and its direction relating to compensation.

The revised order clarifies that the Allahabad High Court's decision to quash Chaudhary's NSA detention has not been stayed.

A bench of justices Satish Chandra Sharma and NK Singh said "till the matter is heard on merits", the operation of paragraphs 27 to 33 of the high court judgment, "including award of costs and strictures against the petitioner", would remain stayed.


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The clarification came after the Supreme Court's order passed on Wednesday had stated that the operation of the impugned judgment, "particularly" paragraphs 27 to 33, would remain stayed. The revised wording specifically identifies the strictures and compensation-related directions as the portions covered by the interim stay.

Paragraphs 27 to 33 of the Allahabad High Court's judgement contained strong observations against Roopam over the manner in which Chaudhary's detention order was passed. The high court had also directed payment of ₹5 lakh compensation to Chaudhary, with the amount to be recovered from the salary of the district magistrate and other officials found responsible.

The high court had quashed Chaudhary's detention under NSA after examining the material relied upon by authorities in connection with workers' protest in Noida in April. It had held that the material placed before it did not establish that Chaudhary had incited violence, arson or destruction of public property.

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The Supreme Court's revised order, therefore, leaves the core direction quashing the NSA detention outside the scope of the stay.