The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday quashed the National Security Act invoked against Akriti Choudhry in the Noida workers’ protest case. A Bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev noted that the grounds for Akriti’s detention under NSA did not contain a “single shred of evidence” against her. The court has ordered Rs 5 lakh compensation to her to be recovered from the salaries of officials involved in the legal actions taken against her.
The High Court was hearing the habeas corpus plea of Choudhary, a 25-year-old Delhi University graduate, Akriti Choudhry, hailing from Durgapur in West Bengal. Choudhry, a history graduate from DU, theatre artist, and activist, was allegedly abducted by male policemen in plain clothes from the Botanical Garden Metro Station on the night of 11 April, FoEJ Media has learnt.
The Court noted that “Akriti was first arrested, and then the notice was prepared,” which contradicts their version of the story. The Court also questioned the State’s claim that Akriti was involved in the violence. It observed that “Whatever violence has happened is after her arrest,” the Campaign for Release of Workers and Activists of Noida (CaRWAN) told FoEJ Media.
“It appeared that Aakriti had been arrested first, and the notice proceedings were carried out later. The court also questioned the allegation that she had instigated workers to engage in violence. “The court said,
“People had started gathering for the protest from April 11. Justice Shridharan then asked, If no violence had taken place on April 11, what violence had Aakriti allegedly instigated on that day?” The government said,
Earlier to this, on Tuesday, the High Court had sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on whether Choudhry had been served a notice before the FIR was registered against her.
The police said that Choudhry was among the “proponents of a specific ideology that believes in achieving their objectives through violent means.” Choudhry has been named in 11 FIRs with charges that include attempt to murder along with intent to cause death or grievous harm, endangering life or personal safety, and criminal conspiracy.
Chaudhary will be in custody, as she is yet to secure bail in other cases slapped on her ahead of the workers’ protest for better wages and work conditions in the Noida industrial area of Uttar Pradesh.
A massive protest unfolded in Noida by factory workers demanding a hike in wages, which soon turned violent, leading to the burning of cars and blocking of roads in several parts of the city. Initiated by a latest 35% wage hike in neighboring Haryana, protesting workers demanded higher pay and better working conditions and said that current wages were insufficient for rising living costs.
According to officials, a large number of workers from various industrial units gathered to protest for a raise in salary, chanting slogans during the protest. However, it soon turned violent as some protestors allegedly vandalized property and set a vehicle ablaze. Shortly after this, a heavy police deployment was made at the site, bringing the situation under control.
Addressing a rally, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described the ongoing labor protest in Noida as a conspiracy to disrupt the state’s growth and development.
