Supreme Court clarifies scope of stay in NSA detention case

The Supreme Court clarified on September 24 that its interim order in a challenge brought by Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate Medha Roopam does not suspend the Allahabad High Court’s decision quashing Delhi University student Akriti Chaudhary’s detention under the National Security Act. The stay applies to the High Court’s strictures against Roopam and its direction that ₹5 lakh in compensation be recovered from her salary, pending a hearing on the merits. The clarification came in a revised order after the court’s initial wording, issued a day earlier, had led to uncertainty over whether the stay covered the entire High Court judgment. The revised order specified that paragraphs 27 to 33 of the September 2 judgment, including the strictures and compensation direction, would remain stayed. It did not stay the part of the judgment that quashed Chaudhary’s NSA detention. The High Court had ruled that the detention was unlawful and ordered Chaudhary’s release unless she was required in another case. It also directed that ₹5 lakh be paid to her from Roopam’s salary and issued strong criticism of the district magistrate’s handling of the detention.