Supreme Court Justice Dipankar Datta, in a bench‑headed hearing on Monday, overturned the Allahabad High Court’s order that had kept Mulla Afroz, a key conspirator in the November 2024 Sambhal violence, under the National Security Act. The court’s ruling also imposed a ₹10 lakh fine on the Uttar Pradesh government for issuing an illegal detention order.
The bench warned that an NSA detention cannot rest solely on a confession made while an accused is in police custody; “Other surrounding circumstances have to be considered,” it observed.
Uttar Pradesh Home Minister Vikas Gupta said the government would comply with the court’s judgment and arrange payment within the stipulated period.
This is the first time the apex court has struck down an NSA detention on the basis of a solitary confession, tightening the legal scrutiny of preventive detentions across the country.
The state’s compliance will be monitored by the court, and the case will now proceed to a hearing on the enforcement of the ₹10 lakh penalty.