'Attempt to make example out of Aakriti': Official excesses will make UP dystopia, says HC
The Allahabad High Court quashed the NSA detention of a student activist, criticizing the Gautam Budh Nagar administration for abusing its authority. The court warned that such official excesses threaten to turn the state into an Orwellian dystopia.
Why it matters
It highlights judicial intervention against the misuse of preventive detention laws by state authorities, emphasizing the accountability of civil servants to the Constitution.
PRAYAGRAJ: In a strongly worded order giving the detailed reasons for quashing the National Security Act (NSA) detention of Delhi University student activist Akriti Chaudhary, the Allahabad high court cautioned that errant bureaucrats could reduce Uttar Pradesh to an "Orwellian dystopia" and reminded civil servants that their loyalty lies with the Constitution and not the political executive.The 15-page order, made public days after the court quashed the NSA detention and awarded Rs 5 lakh compensation to Chaudhary on Sept 2, contains sharp criticism of the Gautam Budh Nagar administration and police for invoking the stringent preventive detention law against a student activist without adequate material.A division bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev observed that bureaucrats and police officers enjoy immense powers because they are entrusted with protecting the constitutional rights, dignity and welfare of citizens.
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