Lucknow, Sep 3 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday slammed the Uttar Pradesh government over the Allahabad High Court’s quashing of cultural activist Aakriti Chaudhary’s detention under the National Security Act.
Chaudhary, a 25-year-old Delhi University history graduate, was arrested in connection with the Noida workers’ protest in April this year. The high court quashed her detention on Wednesday, stating that it was based on a story “concocted” by the state.
Sharing a news clip of the court order on social media, Yadav quipped, “The DM (district magistrate) has been reprimanded by the high court with a fine for doing an illegitimate act, but what about those under whose directions such retaliatory actions are being carried out? D comes after C, doesn’t it? The rest — people are wise enough to understand.” The reference to the alphabet “C” was seen as a swipe at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, though Yadav did not name him directly.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) welcomed the court order on Wednesday, saying it had exposed the “lies” of the Yogi Adityanath government.
Party state secretary Sudhakar Yadav said Chaudhary’s detention under the NSA should be followed by the release of senior journalist and social activist Satyam Verma, who the party alleged was also booked under the NSA in connection with the Noida workers’ agitation.
The CPI(ML) demanded that FIRs registered against workers and social activists in connection with the protest be withdrawn.
A bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Achal Sachdev, while allowing Chaudhary’s habeas corpus petition, found that her detention was based on a story “concocted” by the state and directed her immediate release if she was not required in any other case.
The court also directed the state to pay her Rs 5 lakh in compensation, to be recovered from the salary of the Gautam Buddh Nagar district magistrate.
During the hearing, the state had alleged that Chaudhary instigated protesters to indulge in arson and stone-pelting. However, the court questioned the absence of proper material, particularly video footage, showing her allegedly instigating protesters.
When the state sought additional time to produce the video footage, the bench declined, noting that she had already spent five months in jail.
The bench also observed that a proper notice under Section 126 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita had not been served on her and that the General Diary entry appeared to indicate that she had already been arrested before the notice was prepared.
Meanwhile, Gautam Buddh Nagar police officials said Chaudhary’s release may not be immediate as some other cases related to the same episode are still pending against her. PTI KIS RUK RUK
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