Noida DM Medha Roopam Moves Supreme Court Against Allahabad HC Order Slamming Her For Student's NSA Detention
Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Medha Roopam has moved the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court order which directed a compensation of Rs.5 lakhs from her salary over the detention of student Akriti Chaudhary under the National Security Act.
To recap, while quashing the NSA detention of 24-year-old Delhi University law student and activist, Akriti Chaudhary, the Allahabad High Court had strongly criticized the manner in which the detention order was passed by the Noida District Magistrate.
The bench categorically warned that continued 'despotic' conduct by errant bureaucracy could reduce Uttar Pradesh to an “Orwellian Dystopia”
A Bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev held that Chaudhary's continued incarceration under the NSA violated her Fundamental Right under Article 21, as the detention order and grounds were devoid of material and were passed “without application of mind”.
The Court also awarded Rs.5 lakh compensation to Chaudhary and directed that the amount be recovered from the salary of the District Magistrate, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Medha Roopam, who passed the detention order, as well as other officers responsible, "right down to the SHO".
Chaudhary, 25, is a history graduate from Delhi University and was arrested in connection with cases arising from the Noida workers' protest in April 2026. The Uttar Pradesh Police subsequently invoked the National Security Act, 1980 against Chaudhary and activist/journalist Satyam Verma on May 13. They were among several activists arrested in cases relating to the peaceful protest seeking higher wages.
High Court's observations on bureaucracy and police
In its 15-page order, the bench made several significant observations on the roles of the bureaucracy and the police. It said officers are entrusted with immense powers because they bear responsibility for upholding the constitutional and legal rights, dignity, honour and welfare of citizens.
However, the Court stressed that they must remember that their "loyalty is towards the Constitution and not the political executive". It further said that officers are servants who serve the people, who are “the masters in a democracy”.
The Court warned that when bureaucrats and police officers ignore their oath and act contrary to it, people may view them as an "oppressive vestige of the British Empire", creating an environment of civil unrest.
The Bench added that "it shan't be long before the errant in the bureaucracy reduce the State of Uttar Pradesh to an Orwellian Dystopia".
The Court also said that, while correcting excesses or illegalities that impinge upon civil liberties without adequate cause or due process, the Judiciary could pass "harsh orders" to compensate wronged citizens.
High Court's observations on DM Medha Roopam
The Court was particularly critical of the conduct of the District Magistrate, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Medha Roopam, who had passed the NSA detention order.
It held that where the police report contained only allegations without credible supporting material, the District Magistrate was expected to examine the record 'threadbare' before deciding whether the stringent provisions of the NSA were warranted.
The Bench observed that Chaudhary was a female student activist with no previous criminal record, and the material did not show that she had incited violence. The Court concluded thus:
"The conduct of the District Magistrate Gautam Buddha Nagar who passed the impugned order, is worthy of derision."
It further held that the circumstances revealed that the District Magistrate "desired to set an example" out of Chaudhary and deter others from exercising their right to freedom of speech and expression in public spaces in support of laborers.