English Headline Sambhal Violence Case: Supreme Court Quashes Mulla Afroz’s NSA Detentio

The Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed the preventive detention of Mulla Afroz, an accused in the November 2024 Sambhal violence case, under the National Security Act (NSA). A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu set aside the detention order, holding that an alleged confession made while the accused was in police custody could not, by itself, form the basis for preventive detention. The Court also imposed costs of ₹10 lakh on the Uttar Pradesh government for the illegal exercise of preventive detention powers.

The case relates to violence that erupted in Sambhal in November 2024 during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. Four people were killed in the violence. Afroz was arrested in January 2025, and the NSA was subsequently invoked against him in October 2025. The Supreme Court observed that the authorities had to consider relevant surrounding circumstances and other material instead of relying solely on the alleged custodial confession. The Court's ruling sets aside the preventive detention order, while the underlying criminal proceedings related to the violence remain a separate matter.