Supreme Court Stays Allahabad HC Strictures Against Noida DM Medha Roopam Over Student NSA Detention

The Supreme Court of India on September 23 granted interim relief to Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Medha Roopam, staying the Allahabad High Court's strictures and direction to pay ₹5 lakh compensation from her salary for detaining student activist Akriti Chaudhary under the National Security Act. The bench of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh clarified that the quashing of Chaudhary's NSA detention remains intact.

Revised Order Clarifies Scope of Stay

Initially, the Supreme Court's order stated that the operation of the entire impugned judgment , particularly paragraphs 27 to 33, was stayed. However, the order was subsequently revised to specify that the stay applies only to "paras nos. 27 to 33 of the impugned judgment including award of costs and strictures against the petitioner." This means the High Court's decision to quash the NSA detention order against Akriti Chaudhary continues to operate.

High Court's Scathing Observations

The Allahabad High Court , in its September 2 judgment, had strongly criticized the manner in which District Magistrate Medha Roopam passed the NSA detention order against Chaudhary, a 24-year-old Delhi University history graduate. The High Court observed that the detention order and grounds were " devoid of material " and passed " without application of mind ." It termed the DM's conduct "worthy of derision" and warned that continued "despotic" conduct by errant bureaucracy could reduce Uttar Pradesh to an "Orwellian Dystopia." The High Court also directed recovery of ₹5 lakh compensation from the salary of the DM and other officers "right down to the SHO."

Arguments Before Supreme Court

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the State of Uttar Pradesh, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the District Magistrate, contended that the strictures against the officer were "unwarranted" and "totally uncalled for." Rohatgi argued that the DM was merely a "link in the chain" — the proposal for detention came from the SHO, was approved by the Advisory Committee, and subsequently by the State and Union governments. He emphasized that the High Court had not examined the NSA detention order's merits but only confined itself to the legality of the arrest.

Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Akriti Chaudhary on caveat, submitted a compilation of documents and was granted two weeks to file a reply.

Court's Decision and Implications

After hearing the parties on the question of interim relief, the Supreme Court ordered that until the matter is heard on merits, the operation of paragraphs 27 to 33 of the impugned judgment — including the award of costs and strictures against the petitioner — shall remain stayed. The court issued notice to the respondents and listed the matter for further hearing on October 7, 2026.

The practical effect of this interim order is that while the strictures and compensation direction against DM Medha Roopam are temporarily suspended, the quashing of Akriti Chaudhary's NSA detention remains valid, allowing her to remain free pending the final outcome of the appeals.