Allahabad HC quashes detention of DU graduate in Noida protest case

PRAYAGRAJThe Allahabad High Court on Wednesday quashed the detention order against a 25-year-old Delhi University (DU) graduate who has been in judicial custody for around five months in connection with the Noida workers’ protest of April 2026, saying her detention was based on a “concocted story”

PRAYAGRAJ

The development came as the bench found several lapses after closely examining the sequence of Akriti Chaudhary’s arrest and the notices issued to her under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). (Representative photo)

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday quashed the detention order against a 25-year-old Delhi University (DU) graduate who has been in judicial custody for around five months in connection with the Noida workers’ protest of April 2026, saying her detention was based on a “concocted story”.

Allowing the habeas corpus petition, a division bench comprising justice Atul Sreedharan and justice Achal Sachdev directed the immediate release of Akriti Chaudhary if her arrest was not warranted in any other case. The court also directed the state to pay her compensation of ₹5 lakh, according to Charlie Prakash, the petitioner’s counsel.

The development came as the bench found several lapses after closely examining the sequence of Chaudhary’s arrest and the notices issued to her under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

The Noida protests began over workers’ demands for higher wages and better working conditions, after a similar wage hike in Haryana. The agitation, which had continued for several days, turned violent on April 13, with incidents of stone-pelting, vandalism and arson reported in parts of Noida’s industrial belt. Police used tear gas and force to disperse protesters, and hundreds were subsequently arrested.

Earlier on Tuesday, the high court had asked the state government to produce footage showing whether Chaudhari had instigated protesters to indulge in stone-pelting or set vehicles on fire. The state sought more time, but the bench declined, noting that she had already spent five months in jail.

Earlier, the court had asked whether there was any material showing that she had asked protesters to set vehicles on fire. When the state said the chargesheet had been filed, Justice Sreedharan observed: “Once the chargesheet is filed, you should have seen where the witnesses have named her.”

During Wednesday’s hearing, the state counsel said Chaudhari, a DU history graduate, was arrested at 10.56am on April 12 in connection with cases arising from the protest and that a notice had been issued to her as required by law. The state alleged that she had “instigated the mob” to resort to arson and stone-pelting.

The Uttar Pradesh Police subsequently invoked the National Security Act (NSA), 1980 against Chaudhary. Chaudhary thereafter approached the high court through a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention.