The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday quashed the detention order against a 25-year-old Delhi University (DU) graduate who has been in judicial custody for around five months in connection with the Noida workers’ protest of April 2026, saying her detention was based on a “concocted story”.
Allowing the habeas corpus petition, a division bench comprising justice Atul Sreedharan and justice Achal Sachdev directed the immediate release of Akriti Chaudhary if her arrest was not warranted in any other case. The court also directed the state to pay her compensation of ₹5 lakh, according to Charlie Prakash, the petitioner’s counsel.
The development came as the bench found several lapses after closely examining the sequence of Chaudhary’s arrest and the notices issued to her under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The Noida protests began over workers’ demands for higher wages and better working conditions, after a similar wage hike in Haryana. The agitation, which had continued for several days, turned violent on April 13, with incidents of stone-pelting, vandalism and arson reported in parts of Noida’s industrial belt. Police used tear gas and force to disperse protesters, and hundreds were subsequently arrested.
