Sambhal Violence Case: Supreme Court Quashes Mulla Afroz’s NSA Detention, Awards ₹10 Lakh Costs Against UP Government
Court sets aside Allahabad High Court ruling and says alleged custodial confession could not form the sole basis for preventive detention
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has quashed the preventive detention of Mulla Afroz under the National Security Act in connection with the November 2024 Sambhal violence, setting aside the Allahabad High Court judgment that had upheld his detention.
A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu held that the alleged confession made while Afroz was in police custody could not, by itself, provide a valid basis for preventive detention under the NSA. The court also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay ₹10 lakh as costs in the case.
The case arose from the violence in Sambhal on November 24, 2024, following a court ordered survey of the historic Shahi Jama Masjid. Four people died during the clashes, which led to several criminal cases and heightened tensions in the area. Afroz was arrested in January 2025 and was subsequently detained under the NSA through an order dated October 13, 2025.
Afroz had challenged the preventive detention before the Allahabad High Court. In June 2026, the High Court dismissed his petition and upheld the detention order, finding that the District Magistrate had recorded sufficient grounds for preventive action. The court noted that several materials had been supplied to Afroz and held that it could not reassess the sufficiency of the material considered by the detaining authority.
Afroz subsequently approached the Supreme Court. During the hearing on September 8, the bench questioned the relevance of the alleged custodial confession and whether such a statement could form the basis of the “subjective satisfaction” required for preventive detention under the NSA. The court reserved its judgment after hearing both sides.
The Supreme Court has now overturned the High Court ruling and quashed the NSA detention. The decision concerns the legality of the preventive detention and does not, by itself, bring an end to the separate criminal proceedings arising from the Sambhal violence.
The ruling also comes amid wider legal debate over the use of preventive detention laws and the safeguards required before personal liberty can be restricted. The Supreme Court’s order specifically examined whether the material relied upon by the authorities was legally sufficient to sustain the NSA detention.
The court directed that the ₹10 lakh costs imposed on the Uttar Pradesh government be paid to Afroz as compensation for the unlawful detention.