'Will challenge High Court order quashing detention of student activist under National Security Act': SG Mehta tells Supreme Court

New Delhi: Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that an appeal will be filed against the Allahabad High Court’s decision quashing the National Security Act detention of Delhi University student and activist Akriti Chaudhary.

Mehta made the submission before a three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.

He referred to an earlier oral mentioning concerning a notice issued to a Greater Noida student over alleged participation in a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest at Jantar Mantar, clarifying that the notice had been issued by an executive magistrate and not the district magistrate.

“I am not on the matter… (but) the Noida DM is flooded with queries from media, etc, what order have you passed, etc,” the Solicitor General said.

When the bench recalled that the Allahabad High Court had recently set aside the Gautam Buddha Nagar administration’s detention order against another student and awarded her compensation, Mehta stated: “That we are challenging.”

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Earlier on Wednesday, the Chief Justice had strongly criticised the Greater Noida executive magistrate for issuing a notice to a student despite the Supreme Court’s earlier protective order on student protesters. The apex court said it would seek an explanation from the magistrate.

On September 2, a division bench of the Allahabad High Court comprising Justices Atul Sreedharan and Achal Sachdev had quashed Chaudhary’s detention under the NSA in connection with an April 2026 workers’ protest in Noida.

The high court strongly criticised the manner in which the detention order was passed by the then Noida district magistrate and cautioned that continued “despotic” conduct by “errant” bureaucracy could reduce Uttar Pradesh to an “Orwellian dystopia.”

It awarded Rs 5 lakh as compensation to Chaudhary, directing that the amount be recovered from the salary of Gautam Buddha Nagar DM Medha Roopam, who passed the detention order, as well as from other responsible officers, including the SHO.

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Chaudhary, a history graduate from Delhi University, was among the activists arrested in cases arising from the peaceful Noida workers’ protest seeking higher wages.

The Uttar Pradesh Police later invoked the NSA against her and activist-journalist Satya Verma on May 13.

In its order, the high court emphasised that officers are entrusted with immense powers precisely because they bear responsibility for upholding the constitutional and legal rights, dignity and welfare of citizens. It directed that its displeasure against the district magistrate and the police officers involved in preparing the dossier be recorded in their service records.