DU Student Gets No Relief from Supreme Court in Noida Violence Case

New Delhi, May 8: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a bail plea filed by a Delhi University student arrested in connection with the violence that broke out during a workers’ protest in Noida last month, while also stressing the growing burden of pending cases before the apex court.

The matter came up before a bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, which advised the accused, Aakriti Chaudhary, to seek relief from the Allahabad High Court instead of directly approaching the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution.

During the hearing, the bench remarked that a large number of litigants were bypassing high courts and filing petitions directly before the apex court. Referring to the mounting pendency, the judges observed that nearly 93,000 cases are currently awaiting disposal in the Supreme Court.

Appearing for Chaudhary, her counsel argued that the police had failed to provide proper grounds for her arrest at the time she was taken into custody. The lawyer further informed the court that the accused is a student of Delhi University and sought interim relief in the form of bail.

The apex court, however, was not inclined to grant relief and asked the petitioner to pursue the matter before the appropriate high court.

In a separate but related development connected to the same protest incident, the Supreme Court issued notices to Uttar Pradesh police officials on a petition filed by Keshaw Anand, who alleged custodial torture by the police authorities.

The violence case stems from a protest organised by industrial workers in Noida on April 13 over long-pending demands for wage revision. According to officials, workers from multiple factories and industrial units had gathered to demonstrate against low salaries and delay in implementing revised pay structures.

Police claimed that the protest later turned violent after a section of demonstrators allegedly resorted to vandalism, stone-pelting and arson. A vehicle was reportedly set on fire during the unrest, prompting police action and subsequent arrests.

Earlier, a local court in Noida had granted conditional police custody of three women accused in the case — Aakriti Chaudhary, Manisha Chauhan and Srishti Gupta. The court had also permitted the presence of their lawyers during questioning and investigation proceedings.

Investigators had argued before the court that custodial interrogation was necessary as important evidence could be recovered from locations linked to the accused persons.

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