Noida (Uttar Pradesh), September 13: Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Medha Roopam has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court’s order directing recovery of Rs 5 lakh from the personal salaries of officials, including the DM, as compensation to Delhi University law student Aakriti Chaudhary.
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Chaudhary was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) following her arrest in connection with a workers’ protest in Noida in April 2026.
The Allahabad High Court had quashed Chaudhary’s NSA detention, holding it illegal and directing the state government to pay her compensation of Rs 5 lakh. The court, however, specified that the amount should not be borne by the public exchequer and instead be recovered from the salaries of officials found responsible for the alleged administrative lapses.
A division bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Achal Sachdev was hearing a habeas corpus petition challenging Chaudhary’s detention.
During its examination of the case, the High Court found that the state police and district administration had made serious allegations against Chaudhary but failed to produce concrete evidence or video footage to substantiate them.
The court noted that Chaudhary was taken into police custody on April 11, while the violence in the area occurred on April 13. The bench questioned how a person already in custody could be held responsible for subsequent incidents of violence and arson.
The court also found that the notice issued under Section 130 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) appeared to have been prepared only after her arrest and described it as a mere formality.
The High Court observed that invoking the NSA in the circumstances was excessively harsh and irresponsible. It further held that stringent preventive detention laws could not be used as a means to deny a citizen the ordinary right to seek bail.
The court said that when state authorities infringe upon an individual’s personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution on the basis of conjecture and without concrete evidence, courts cannot remain silent spectators.
While allowing the habeas corpus petition, the High Court directed payment of Rs 5 lakh in compensation to Chaudhary. It specifically ordered that the amount should be recovered from the salaries of officials responsible for the alleged lapses, including the Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate, who the court held had taken the “arbitrary decision”, the Station House Officer who prepared the initial report and other concerned police officials.
Roopam has now challenged the direction before the Supreme Court, seeking relief against the order to recover the compensation from her personal salary.
