New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned whether Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate Medha Roopam could be isolated from the decision-making process in the detention of Delhi University student Akriti Chaudhary under the National Security Act (NSA).
A bench comprising Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice N.K. Singh was hearing Roopam’s challenge to the Allahabad High Court judgment that had quashed Chaudhary’s detention and directed payment of ₹5 lakh compensation.
The High Court had directed that the compensation be recovered from the salaries of the officers held responsible, including the District Magistrate and officers involved in the process, down to the SHO who had prepared the initial report.
During the Supreme Court hearing, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, submitted that the report concerning Chaudhary had passed through the SHO, DCP and Police Commissioner before reaching the District Magistrate. He also referred to the examination of the detention by the NSA Advisory Board.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Medha Roopam IAS, submitted that the detention process involved five stages before the District Magistrate passed the order and that her role was to form an opinion after the statutory safeguards had been followed.
The Supreme Court observed that if the decision-making process involved several authorities, the District Magistrate could not be isolated. The Court remarked, “We can’t isolate her.”
The Allahabad High Court had quashed Chaudhary’s detention and also directed that its displeasure against the District Magistrate, medha roopam ias, and other officers involved in the process be recorded in their service records.
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