Supreme Court Quashes NSA Detention in Sambhal Case: Police Confession Cannot Ground Preventive Detention

On 29 September 2026, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu quashed the preventive detention of Mulla Afroz, an accused in the November 2024 Sambhal violence, under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980, and imposed costs of ₹10 lakh on the Uttar Pradesh government. The Court held that a confession made to a police officer, without independent supporting material, cannot by itself be the basis of detention under the NSA.