Newz Desk. Durgapur/New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to challenge the Allahabad High Court’s order quashing the detention of former CMERI Durgapur student Akriti Chaudhary under the National Security Act (NSA), bringing a legal battle involving a student activist into focus in Durgapur as well.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it would challenge the High Court’s September 7 order, which had set aside the detention order issued against Akriti by the Noida district magistrate under the NSA. Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta conveyed the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision before a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. “We are challenging that order,” Mehta told the bench, which also comprised Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana.
Akriti, a former student of the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, had been detained under the NSA in connection with protests by industrial workers and labourers in Noida and Greater Noida.
The protests in April had reportedly witnessed large-scale demonstrations over demands for higher wages from companies. The agitation was followed by incidents of alleged damage to public property and injuries to police personnel and private individuals. Uttar Pradesh Police had accused Akriti and others of instigating the mob.
However, while quashing the detention order, the Allahabad High Court came down heavily on the manner in which the NSA had been invoked against Akriti. The court criticised Noida District Magistrate Medha Roopam for allegedly failing to apply her mind properly before passing the detention order. The High Court bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev not only quashed the detention order but also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay ₹5 lakh in compensation to Akriti.
The court further directed that the compensation amount be recovered from the salaries of the district magistrate and other officials found responsible for her detention. The matter has now moved to the Supreme Court, with the Uttar Pradesh government preparing to challenge the High Court’s findings.
The development has drawn particular attention in Durgapur because Akriti is a former student of CMERI, one of the city’s prominent scientific research institutions. Her name has consequently become associated with a legal and political controversy that has now reached the country’s highest court. The Supreme Court proceedings also touched upon another issue involving student leader Akshat Tripathi and the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ protests. The Solicitor-General informed the court that the Noida district magistrate had been receiving numerous calls from journalists regarding a notice issued to Tripathi.
Mehta clarified that the notice had not been issued by the Noida district magistrate but by the executive magistrate of Greater Noida, following confusion among those contacting the district administration. The Supreme Court’s reference to the Allahabad High Court’s September 7 judgment prompted Mehta to state that the Uttar Pradesh government intended to challenge the order.
The proposed appeal will now put the High Court’s findings on the NSA detention, including its observations regarding the application of mind by the district administration and the compensation awarded to Akriti, under scrutiny before the Supreme Court.
