Supreme Court Deems Detention of Law Student 'Wholly Untenable'

The Supreme Court has ordered the release of a Madhya Pradesh law student from preventive detention under the National Security Act, declaring it 'untenable.' The Court criticized local authorities for procedural lapses and noted multiple past criminal charges against the student, although many were resolved in his favor.

The Supreme Court has mandated the immediate release of a law student from Madhya Pradesh, declaring his preventive detention under the National Security Act 'wholly untenable.' A bench, comprising Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and K Vinod Chandran, criticized procedural lapses in the student's detention, promising a detailed order soon.

Annu, the petitioner, faced preventive detention following a university altercation, leading authorities to invoke the National Security Act. Despite a lodged FIR and multiple accusations, the Supreme Court highlighted the failure to meet legal requirements for preventive detention under this act, thus ordering his release.

The Court noted that the district magistrate overstepped in handling the appellant's representation without state government forwarding, ignoring other criminal proceedings. Evidencing procedural errors, the Court dismissed Annu's preventive detention, allowing his release from Central Jail in Bhopal.