India’s Supreme Court has set aside the preventive detention of Mulla Afroz, an accused in the 2024 Sambhal violence, and ordered Uttar Pradesh to pay him ₹10 lakh within a month.
The 29 September judgment found that authorities had used allegations already under criminal investigation to justify a separate detention under the National Security Act. The state relied heavily on a purported confession made in police custody and on the prospect of Afroz’s release on bail. The court held that preventive detention demands evidence of a distinct, credible risk of future harm to public order; it cannot serve as a substitute for ordinary prosecution.
The bench overturned both the detention and its confirmation, as well as the Allahabad High Court ruling that had upheld them. It ordered Afroz’s release unless he is required in another case. The criminal proceedings remain open, and the court expressly declined to assess their merits.