SC slaps Rs 10 lakh fine on UP govt over illegal detention of 2024 violence accused

Mulla Afroz is accused of firing rounds of gunshots which killed two people during the violence that broke out in Sambhal in November 2024 after locals objected to the survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid by a team of district administration and the Archaeological Survey of India.

In Short

• Supreme Court rejects Mulla Afroz's preventive detention under NSA
• Rs 10 lakh fine imposed on UP government for illegal order
• Afroz accused of firing in 2024 Sambhal violence killing two

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the preventive detention of Mulla Afroz under the National Security Act (NSA) over his role in the 2024 Sambhal violence and imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine on the Uttar Pradesh government for passing the "illegal" order.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu ruled that the confession statement of an accused recorded while in custody cannot be used as the basis for a preventive detention order under the NSA.

The court passed the judgment while setting aside Afroz's preventive detention. A detailed judgment is awaited.

According to the police, Afroz is accused of firing rounds of gunshots which allegedly killed two people during the violence that broke out in Sambhal in November 2024 after locals objected to the survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid by a team of district administration and the Archaeological Survey of India

In October 2025, the Uttar Pradesh Police invoked the NSA over his involvement in the communal violence that killed a total of four people.

The NSA empowers the Centre and state governments to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner "prejudicial to the defence of India".

The maximum period of detention under the law is 12 months, although it can be revoked earlier.

The top court made it clear that a confession statement of an accused in custody cannot by itself form the basis for invoking preventive detention under the NSA.

- Ends
(With PTI inputs)