Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate Medha Roopam has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court's order reprimanding her over the detention of Delhi University graduate Akriti Chaudhary under the National Security Act (NSA).

As per the Supreme Court's official website, Roopam filed a Special Leave Petition (Criminal) on September 10, 2026, against the Allahabad High Court's order.

The development comes 4 days after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed a Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana that the High Court ruling would be challenged before the Supreme Court.

The Allahabad High Court had recently quashed Chaudhary's detention under the NSA in connection with the Noida workers' protest in April 2026, during which demonstrations had turned violent.

A Division Bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev had directed that Chaudhary be released forthwith, unless required in any other case.

The Court also directed payment of ₹5 lakh compensation to Chaudhary, with the amount to be recovered from the salary of the District Magistrate and all officers responsible for preparing the report that led to her detention under the NSA.

The High Court had passed the order after questioning the material relied upon by the State to attribute a specific role to Chaudhary in the violence.

The Court had also made strong observations concerning the responsibilities of IAS and IPS officers, observing that their loyalty is towards the Constitution and not the political executive.

It was further observed that every time bureaucrats and police officers ignore their oath and allegiance to India, people may view them as an oppressive vestige of the British Empire. The Court warned that failure to act against excesses by bureaucrats could reduce the State to an “Orwellian Dystopia.”

The division bench had also said that the freedom of speech and expression extends to coming out on the streets and peacefully agitating a cause.

It added that citizens have a constitutional right to gather peacefully and agitate for their rights, and that this right cannot be curtailed merely on the basis of the State’s “subjective opinion” about a possible breach of peace.

“Preventing people from gathering in public spaces or agitating their rights on the grounds of assumed breach of peace, would be throwing the baby out of the bath water,” Justice Atul Sreedharan, who authored the judgment, observed.

The bench repeatedly asked the State to identify material showing that Chaudhary had incited people to indulge in rioting, arson or destruction of public and private property. But, the court said, the State was unable to point to “a single message” or video clip showing such incitement.

The videos relied upon by the State, court said, showed large numbers of people gathered near a lamp post, including men and women in traditional rural clothing. “None of these videos disclose that the crowd is agitated or armed with lathi, stones or any such articles,” it said, adding that the gathering appeared to be an exercise of the constitutional right to freedom of speech and a protest against wages and working conditions.

Court said detention under the NSA was an exception and could not be used as a substitute to keep a person in custody merely because the person might otherwise obtain bail on the merits of the criminal case.

Why was Chaudhary detained?

Chaudhary is a History graduate from Delhi University. She was arrested in connection with cases arising from the workers' protest in Noida in April 2026 and was subsequently detained under the NSA.

The Uttar Pradesh government invoked the NSA against Chaudhary and journalist Satyam Verma on May 13. They were among seven activists arrested in connection with different cases arising from the protest.

At the time, Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh had claimed that the police possessed “strong electronic and videographic evidence” against Chaudhary, Verma and several others arrested in connection with the cases.

The habeas corpus proceedings before the High Court concerned the legality of Chaudhary's continued detention under the NSA.

Noida workers' protest

The protest in Noida was held by workers in April 2026 over demands concerning employment and labour-related issues. The demonstrations later turned violent, with incidents of stone-pelting and damage to vehicles reported during clashes.

The police subsequently registered multiple cases against protesters and others allegedly involved in the violence.

Chaudhary's detention under the NSA stemmed from the State government's allegations that she had played a role in instigating protesters during the demonstrations.

The High Court, however, found the detention unsustainable and quashed the NSA order.

Case Title: Medha Roopam v. Akriti Chaudhary And Ors