Noida district magistrate appeals to Supreme Court over salary deduction order
Gautam Buddh Nagar district magistrate Medha Roopam has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging a High Court order that ordered a ₹5 lakh salary deduction for detaining a student under the National Security Act.
Medha Roopam, the district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar, approached the Supreme Court to contest an Allahabad High Court ruling that mandated a ₹5 lakh deduction from her salary for ordering the detention of Akriti Chaudhary under the National Security Act during an April workers' protest in Noida. The High Court had earlier declared Chaudhary’s detention unlawful, describing the justification as a concocted narrative, and ordered compensation to be taken from Roopam, the SHO and other officials.
It also warned that such "errant" bureaucratic actions could erode democratic norms. The court’s decision included a note that officials’ loyalty must lie with the constitution, not the political executive. On September 9, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court that the state would appeal the High Court’s judgment.
Chaudhary had been arrested alongside activist-journalist Satya Verma after the police invoked the NSA in connection with the protest. Roopam’s appeal now seeks to reverse the financial penalty imposed on her and the other officers.
Why it matters
The case tests limits on bureaucratic power and the use of the National Security Act in protest-related arrests.
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