Story 'concocted' by state: Allahabad HC quashes DU student's detention under NSA after Noida workers' protest

The judges stated there were several lapses after closely examining the sequence of Chaudhary’s arrest and the notices issued to her under the BNSS.

Updated on: Sep 2, 2026, 19:23:56 IST

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The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday quashed the detention of 25-year-old Delhi University student Aakriti Chaudhary in connection with the Noida workers’ protest in April 2026. She had been taken into custody under the National Security Act.

The court stated that it found the detention was based on a story “concocted” by the state, according to a report by news agency PTI. Chaudhary had filed a habeas corpus petition challenging her arrest, and a bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Achal Sachdev directed her immediate release if her arrest was not warranted in any other case.

The judges said there were several lapses after closely examining the sequence of Chaudhary’s arrest and the notices issued to her under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

What happened inside the court?

While the state counsel told the judges that Chaudhary was arrested on the morning of April 12, 2025, on charges of instigating the mob to resort to arson and stone-pelting, the judges said that a proper notice under Section 126 of the BNSS had not been served on the petitioner before her arrest.

The state counsel said the notice had been issued as per law. However, the judges said that the General Diary entry appeared to show that Chaudhary had already been arrested before the notice was prepared.

The two-judge bench also declined to give the state counsel additional time to produce video evidence allegedly showing that Chaudhary had instigated protesters to pelt stones or set vehicles on fire. The court had directed the state on Tuesday to produce the evidence the next day.

The state said that the chargesheet had been filed, to which Justice Sreedharan replied, “Once the chargesheet is filed, you should have seen where the witnesses have named her.”

The state then relied on witness statements naming Chaudhary.

However, the bench specifically asked for videographic evidence showing her allegedly instigating protesters to pelt stones and set vehicles on fire.

(All inputs from PTI)

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