The Supreme Court has overturned the preventive detention of an individual accused in the Sambhal violence case under the National Security Act (NSA), imposing a significant penalty of Rs 10 lakh on the Uttar Pradesh government. The apex court's bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu, emphatically stated that a confession obtained while in police custody cannot, in isolation, serve as the sole basis for detaining an individual under the NSA. This landmark decision also nullified a prior judgment by the Allahabad High Court, which had previously upheld the detention order. The accused, identified as Mulla Afroz, had been arrested following his alleged involvement in the communal violence that occurred in Sambhal in 2024, and his subsequent detention under the NSA prevented his release despite being granted bail by the High Court. The Supreme Court's intervention highlights a crucial legal principle regarding the permissible grounds for preventive detention and the weight given to custodial confessions.

The Supreme Court has overturned the preventive detention of an individual accused in the Sambhal violence case under the National Security Act (NSA), imposing a significant penalty of Rs 10 lakh on the Uttar Pradesh government. The apex court's bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu, emphatically stated that a confession obtained while in police custody cannot, in isolation, serve as the sole basis for detaining an individual under the NSA. This landmark decision also nullified a prior judgment by the Allahabad High Court, which had previously upheld the detention order. The accused, identified as Mulla Afroz, had been arrested following his alleged involvement in the communal violence that occurred in Sambhal in 2024, and his subsequent detention under the NSA prevented his release despite being granted bail by the High Court. The Supreme Court's intervention highlights a crucial legal principle regarding the permissible grounds for preventive detention and the weight given to custodial confessions.

The Supreme Court has overturned the preventive detention of an individual accused in the Sambhal violence case under the National Security Act (NSA), imposing a significant penalty of Rs 10 lakh on the Uttar Pradesh government. The apex court's bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu, emphatically stated that a confession obtained while in police custody cannot, in isolation, serve as the sole basis for detaining an individual under the NSA. This landmark decision also nullified a prior judgment by the Allahabad High Court, which had previously upheld the detention order. The accused, identified as Mulla Afroz, had been arrested following his alleged involvement in the communal violence that occurred in Sambhal in 2024, and his subsequent detention under the NSA prevented his release despite being granted bail by the High Court. The Supreme Court's intervention highlights a crucial legal principle regarding the permissible grounds for preventive detention and the weight given to custodial confessions.

In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed the preventive detention of an accused in the Sambhal violence case under the National Security Act (NSA) and imposed costs of Rs 10 lakh on the Uttar Pradesh government for the illegal detention order.

A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu held that a confession statement allegedly made by an accused while in police custody cannot, by itself, form the basis for his detention under the NSA. The top court also set aside an Allahabad High Court judgment that had upheld the detention order.

Uttar Pradesh Police invoked the NSA against Mulla Afroz in October 2025 over his alleged role in the 2024 communal violence in Sambhal.

Afroz was arrested nearly two months after the violence, allegedly on the basis of a confession made while he was in police custody. Although he was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court, the state government subsequently issued a detention order against him under the NSA, preventing his release from jail.

The High Court upheld the detention order, following which Afroz approached the Supreme Court.

Before the top court, the petitioner argued that the police had themselves opened fire during the violence and that this aspect had not been properly investigated. He also contended that his arrest was based on a confession made in police custody, which is not admissible as evidence under the law.

The detailed judgment was not immediately available. On September 8, while reserving its order, the Supreme Court had questioned the validity of the alleged custodial confession and asked whether such a confession could form the basis of a preventive detention order.

The NSA empowers the Centre and state governments to order preventive detention of individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner prejudicial to specified interests, including the defence of India and the maintenance of public order. The maximum period of detention can extend to 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier.

Violence broke out in Sambhal in November 2024 during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid following claims that a Harihar temple had previously existed at the site. Four people were killed and several others injured after protesting locals clashed with security personnel.

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