SC seeks production of two held in Noida labour unrest after their family alleges torture

A bench of justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan ordered that Aditya Anand and Rupesh Roy be produced before the court on May 18 at 2pm

The Supreme Court of India on Friday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to produce before it the two men arrested in connection with the April 2026 Noida workers’ protest case, after allegations surfaced that they were subjected to custodial torture. The state, however, denied any wrongdoing and maintained that all procedural safeguards were followed during the arrests.

The April protests had erupted across industrial clusters in Noida Phase 2 and adjoining areas, with thousands of factory workers demanding higher wages, parity with neighbouring states, overtime compensation and better working conditions. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Archive)

A bench of justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan ordered that Aditya Anand and Rupesh Roy be produced before the court on May 18 at 2pm.

The order came during the hearing of a petition filed by Keshaw Anand, brother of Aditya Anand, alleging custodial violence by the Uttar Pradesh Police following Aditya’s arrest in the case linked to the Noida labour unrest last month.

The April protests had erupted across industrial clusters in Noida Phase 2 and adjoining areas, with thousands of factory workers demanding higher wages, parity with neighbouring states, overtime compensation and better working conditions. The agitation escalated into violence after clashes with police, with incidents of stone-pelting, arson, vandalism and road blockades reported across parts of the industrial hub.

Police used tear gas and force to disperse protesters, while several arrests were made in the aftermath.

The unrest eventually prompted the Uttar Pradesh government to announce revised minimum wage rates and labour welfare measures by the end of April amid growing industrial tensions.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Keshaw Anand, told the court that Aditya was an engineer employed in a factory and also ran a children’s library. Aditya merely addressed workers on labour rights during the protests, the court was told.

“Now things have got a little bit out of hand. He works in a company. When he started (his speeches), he addressed the workers. He gave nice speeches about workers’ rights. My prayer is for an independent investigation,” Gonsalves submitted. He further alleged that lawyers attempting to represent the accused were themselves facing intimidation and physical obstruction.

The Uttar Pradesh government, however, denied all allegations of custodial violence and maintained that due process had been strictly complied with. The state’s counsel rejected the allegation that the grounds of arrest were not supplied or that procedural requirements had been bypassed.

“They have made three averments that grounds of arrest were not provided. Second was no intimation of arrest. Third, there was no transit remand. All of this was done,” the counsel for the state submitted.

The matter will now be taken up again on May 18, when the two arrested men are expected to be produced before the apex court.