Rush Hour: Activist’s NSA detention quashed, ex-bureaucrat allegedly questioned about X post & more

The Allahabad High Court has quashed the preventive detention of 25-year-old activist Aakriti Chaudhary under the National Security Act, ruling that her arrest by the Uttar Pradesh government was based on a “concocted story.” Chaudhary, a Delhi University graduate, had been detained nearly five months ago in connection with workers' protests in Noida. The court ordered the Noida authorities to compensate her with Rs 5 lakh. However, she remains in custody as she has yet to secure bail in other cases linked to the April protests. Chaudhary's release from preventive detention comes amid growing scrutiny of the legal actions taken against protesters and activists. Her lawyers argued that the charges against her lacked credible evidence and were politically motivated. The court agreed, stating that the state failed to provide sufficient justification for her detention. This decision could set a precedent for future cases involving similar allegations. In another development, former civil servant Ashish Joshi reportedly faced questioning by unidentified men believed to be Delhi Police officers regarding a social media post he made about Home Minister Amit Shah. According to Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, Joshi was taken in for questioning following a tweet he had posted earlier in the month, suggesting a conflict between Shah and Home Secretary Govind Mohan over police actions against protesting students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Joshi later confirmed via social media that he had been released by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police. His experience sparked concerns among activists and opposition figures, who called for clarity from the police regarding the nature of the inquiry. Some speculated that the questioning might have been related to the broader political tensions surrounding the protests and the role of law enforcement. Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court denied an urgent hearing request from Anandabazar Patrika journalists who face a first information report (FIR) after using the term “saffron hooliganism” in a headline. The court directed the matter to proceed through the regular judicial process. The controversial headline referred to clashes between members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Left-affiliated student groups at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University on August 20. In the United Kingdom, fifteen civil society organizations and individuals have written to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, urging him to ensure that no city-owned venues are available for events featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat. Bhagwat is scheduled to arrive in the UK after visiting the United States and Canada. The letter also requested confirmation that Khan would seek clarification from the home secretary regarding whether Bhagwat’s visit met the criteria for preventing extremists from entering the country. Additionally, the groups asked if any mayoral representatives would attend RSS-related events. In India, a Pune court heard statements from Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, during a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Savarkar claimed that Gandhi misrepresented his uncle’s views in a 2023 speech in London, portraying him as an extremist who enjoyed beating a Muslim man. Satyaki Savarkar refuted these claims, asserting that his uncle did not hate Muslims but instead advocated for their progress. Separately, the Bombay High Court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the death of Disha Salian, the former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Salian allegedly committed suicide on June 8, 2020, in Mumbai, six days before Rajput was found dead at his residence. The police had closed the case in 2021, citing lack of evidence of foul play. However, Salian’s father, Satish Salian, filed a petition in March 2025, alleging that his daughter was gang-raped and murdered. The CBI’s involvement signals renewed interest in uncovering the circumstances surrounding both deaths.