Top court quashes arrest of Sambhal violence accused, fines UP government 10 lakh

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed the preventive detention of Mulla Afroz, accused of being the alleged mastermind of the November 2024 Sambhal violence, holding that an alleged confessional statement could not by itself form the basis for an order of detention under the National Security Act (NSA).

A bench of justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu also imposed a penalty of ₹10 lakh on the Uttar Pradesh government for illegally exercising its power of preventive detention. "Confessional statement cannot be the sole ground for detention, surrounding circumstances have to be looked into," the bench observed.

SC found that the authority had failed to consider appropriate material before passing the detention order. It held that the material relied upon did not justify the exercise of preventive detention powers in the manner adopted. The bench allowed Afroz's appeal and set aside the detention order, the subsequent confirmation order and the Allahabad High Court verdict that had upheld his detention.


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The case arose from the violence that broke out in Sambhal in November 2024 following a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. Four people were killed in the violence.

Afroz was arrested around 54 days after the incident and was subsequently granted bail by the Allahabad High Court. Despite his release on bail, the Sambhal district magistrate on October 13, 2025, directed that he be detained under Section 3 of NSA. The detention order was subsequently confirmed and upheld by HC, prompting Afroz to approach the Supreme Court.