# Supreme Court quashes Sambhal accused NSA detention, fines UP Rs 10 lakh

2026-09-29T06:17:42+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

The Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed the preventive detention of Mulla Afroz, an accused in the November 2024 Sambhal violence, under the National Security Act (NSA) and imposed a Rs 10 lakh cost on the Uttar Pradesh government. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu ruled that a confession allegedly made in police custody cannot alone justify preventive detention, calling the detention order illegal. Afroz was detained on October 13, 2025 by the Sambhal district magistrate after violence during a court-ordered ASI survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid left four dead. The Allahabad High Court had upheld the detention. The Supreme Court held that preventive detention is not punitive and requires proper material, not just a custodial confession. The court set aside the detention order and directed Afroz's release from Moradabad jail, with his detention to end on October 12, 2026.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All four sources report the same core facts: the Supreme Court quashed Mulla Afroz's NSA detention and imposed a Rs 10 lakh cost on the Uttar Pradesh government because a police-custody confession alone cannot sustain preventive detention. Hindustan Times provides the most legal detail, including Afroz's argument about the firearm calibre mismatch. Times Now and Mathrubhumi focus on the bench's reasoning distinguishing preventive from punitive detention. The coverage is uniformly straight reporting with no observable slant, all sources attribute the order to the court and frame it as a legal finding, not a political rebuke. The implications go beyond one case: the ruling tightens the evidentiary standard for NSA detention across India, requiring authorities to rely on more than custodial confessions. Lower courts and district magistrates will now have to apply this standard.

## Coverage

- timesnownews.com (neutral report) <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/sc-sets-aside-sambhal-violence-accuseds-nsa-detention-slaps-rs-10-lakh-cost-on-up-govt-article-156244344>
  Focused on the bench's questioning of the state's argument during hearings
- english.mathrubhumi.com (neutral report) <https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/india/supreme-court-fines-up-govt-sambhal-preventive-detention-afl3ermk>
  Straight agency-style report on the ruling and its legal reasoning
- timesnownews.com (neutral report) <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/preventive-not-punitive-sc-questions-up-govts-nsa-detention-of-2024-sambhal-violence-accused-article-156118917>
  Focused on the bench's questioning of the state's argument during hearings
- hindustantimes.com (neutral report) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sc-cancels-nsa-order-against-sambhal-violence-accused-slaps-10l-cost-on-up-govt-101790661502508.html>
  Added extensive detail from the petitioner's arguments but no editorial slant

Tags: Mulla Afroz, National Security Act, Sambhal violence, Supreme Court, Uttar Pradesh government
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