SUPREME COURT STAYS STRICTURES, ₹5 LAKH RECOVERY ORDER AGAINST NOIDA DM MEDHA ROOPAM

September 25, 2026

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has granted interim relief to Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate Medha Roopam in the case concerning the National Security Act detention of Delhi University student Akriti Chaudhary during the Noida workers’ protest.

A bench of Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and N. Kotiswar Singh stayed the operation of the Allahabad High Court’s strictures against Roopam and its direction that ₹5 lakh compensation awarded to Chaudhary be recovered from the official’s salary. The matter has been listed for further hearing on October 7.

The Allahabad High Court had on September 2 quashed Chaudhary’s detention under the NSA and criticised the manner in which the detention order was passed. It had ordered ₹5 lakh compensation and directed recovery from the salaries of officials involved in the detention process.

The Supreme Court subsequently clarified that its interim stay is confined to the High Court’s strictures against Roopam and the compensation direction. The High Court’s decision quashing Chaudhary’s NSA detention remains unaffected by the revised order.

The case arose from the detention of Chaudhary, a Delhi University history graduate, in connection with the April workers’ protest in Noida. Roopam challenged the High Court judgment before the Supreme Court, while the Uttar Pradesh government has separately challenged the decision quashing the NSA detention.