SC Seeks Answers from UP Govt on Plea Alleging Misuse of NSA Against Journalist in Noida Unrest

(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)

New Delhi, India,19, May,2026 – The Supreme Court of India has issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government regarding a writ petition challenging the preventive detention of journalist Satyam Verma under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980. Verma was detained following allegations of inciting workers during the Noida labourers’ protest in April.

The petition, filed by Verma’s wife, seeks to declare his detention illegal. This development comes as a bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan continues to hear a separate writ petition concerning the alleged custodial torture of Aditya Anand and Rupesh Roy, who were also involved in the Noida protests.

During earlier proceedings, the Court had expressed concern, orally remarking that the State should not treat the protestors as “terrorists” given their demands for fair wages.

Today, Anand and Roy were produced before the Court, which, while expressing satisfaction with their appearance, ordered the continuation of their judicial custody.

Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing Keshaw Anand (brother of Aditya Anand), had previously sought assurances against police custody transfer due to apprehension of custodial torture and called for an independent inquiry into the torture allegations.

The Court has kept this matter pending, affirming that other legal proceedings, including bail applications, can proceed independently.

In the case of Satyam Verma, Advocate Sharukh Alam informed the Court that the petitioner’s wife has challenged both the detention order and the clubbing of various First Information Reports (FIRs).

It is contended that Verma, aged 60, was not present at the protest site but was arrested due to his role as publisher and writer for the ‘Mazdoor Bigul Newspaper’ and administrator of its Facebook page, as well as his membership in the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India.

Authorities say they have recovered documents and digital devices linking writer-activists to banned organisations and alleged violent mobilising.

According to a police report and court orders, officials searched the Delhi residence of Himanshu Thakur identified as a resident of Rudraksh Garden, Garhwal Sabha Colony, Kashipur, house AA/137, Block A, near Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh and the Lucknow flat of Satyam Verma at B‑68, First Floor, Niralanagar, Station Hasanganj. The searches were carried out under a Lucknow court warrant registered as C.N. 163/26, invoking multiple penal provisions.

Seized material and allegations

• Investigators say Thakur, who is reportedly associated with the Revolutionary Workers’ and Peasants’ Initiative (RWPI), helped Satyam Verma with writing for a publication called Mazdoor Bigul. From Thakur’s room, police recovered two articles: “Dialectical Materialism” and “Capitalism and the Crisis of Gen Z,” published by RWPI’s Creative Artists’ League.
• Police allege the concluding thesis of the Gen Z article argues that Indian adolescents and youth under 25 are alienated, possess only superficial social sensitivity, lack national consciousness, and are therefore vulnerable to being mobilised by labelling the system “fascist.”
• Authorities say the English essay was prepared by RWPI’s fraternal organisation, the Progressive Artists’ League, and attribute the principal ideological contribution in both pieces to Satyam Verma.

Allegations of justification of violence

• The report asserts the articles justify violent action, citing approval of an “extremely violent” Gen Z movement in Nepal. Investigators contend this material aims to prepare and legitimise violent mobilisation.
• Police further link the material to the Maoist Communist Party, which is listed as a banned organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), according to the authorities’ filings.

Items recovered, authorities say

• A copy of the FIR (C.N. 163/26, Station Phase 2), books many described as Marxist and Maoist literature newspapers and pamphlets (including titles named La! Samachar Patra and Mulk Prahari), seven mobile phones, three of which contain groups named “Bigul Mazdoor Dasta,” and a register recording a daily diary from 04-01-2025 to 17-04-2026.
• Financial documents reportedly seized include seven Bank of Baroda cheque books, two PNB cheque books and one ICICI cheque book.
• Electronic equipment and storage recovered allegedly include three laptops, four CPUs, multiple pen drives (including one labelled “Hamara Media Abhiyan”), and a register containing account entries.
• Police say they also identified an individual named Rupesh Roy in the station-phase 29 records, and recovered additional literature and material said to show organisational links.

Police claim and legal status

• Authorities allege Satyam Verma is an ideological guide for certain core members described as the “new 163 generation” and that evidence recovered shows links to violent incidents in Noida.
• The searches and seizures were executed as part of an ongoing investigation; police cited multiple penal sections in the search warrant and FIR. No formal charge-sheet details or court outcomes were provided in the documents reviewed.

Responses sought

• There was no immediate public response available from Himanshu Thakur, Satyam Verma, RWPI, the Progressive Artists’ League, or the individuals and organisations named in the report. The matter is under active investigation and may result in further legal proceedings.

The detention order issued by the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar alleges that Verma instigated workers to engage in collective violence, armed disturbance, and large-scale arson of public and private properties.

It further claims he used “leftist” violent writings to incite the new generation into rebel organizations through literature from ‘Pustak Pratisthan’.

The authorities reportedly found books by Mao Zedong and other “objectionable anti-democratic system” articles at Verma’s office.

“Investigative agencies have alleged that Satyam Verma, executive editor of the newspaper Mazdoor Bigul, played a key role in disseminating literature allegedly aimed at creating labour unrest and opposing labour codes in industrial regions across Delhi-NCR and Haryana. According to the allegations, the publication, founded around 2008 by Arvind Sinha, was circulated through associates including Rupesh Roy in Noida, Yogesh Swami in Delhi, and Shyam Murti in Manesar.

Investigators claim the newspaper’s content was influenced by Marxist and Maoist ideology and was used to mobilise workers and intensify industrial movements. Call detail records allegedly showed that Satyam Verma remained in frequent contact with several activists, including Abhinav Sinha, Shivani Kaul, Vinod Karki, Ajay Swami, Yogesh Swami, and Priyamvada Sharma, who were described by investigators as core members accused of provoking and escalating violent protests in Noida.”

Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj informed the Court that a habeas corpus petition challenging Verma’s detention is currently pending before the Allahabad High Court.

In light of this, Justice Nagarathna stated that no interim relief could be granted at this juncture, as the validity of the detention order requires thorough examination. The matter has been tagged with the other petition, and the petitioner retains the right to pursue other remedies.

Aditya Anand, a software engineer and social worker, and Rupesh Roy, an auto driver, both participated in the protests advocating for increased minimum wages and improved working hours. Anand was reportedly arrested on April 17 at Tiruchirappalli railway station in Tamil Nadu without disclosure of grounds or an arrest memo, and was allegedly denied communication with his family or legal counsel.

He was subsequently taken to Uttar Pradesh and arrested under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Criminal Law Amendment Act.

Roy claims he was subjected to severe torture and implicated through fabricated evidence after addressing labour protests.

Case Details:

•KESHAW ANAND Vs STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH | W.P.(Crl.) No. 174/2026

•SHAKAMBHARI v STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND ORS. | W.P.(Crl.) No. 201/2026

Appearances:

•For Petitioner(s): Mr. Colin Gonsalves, Sr. Adv.; Mr. Manik Gupta, Adv.; Ms. Puja Sharma, AOR; Ms. Shahrukh Alam, Adv.; Ms. Deeksha Dwivedi, Adv.; Mr. Paras Nath Singh.

•For Respondent(s): Mr. Sharan Dev Singh Thakur, A.A.G.; Dr. Vijendra Singh, AOR; Mr. S. Subramaniam, Adv.; Ms. Aayushi Srivastava, Adv.; Mr. Jitendra Kumar Tripathi, Adv.; Mr. Aniket Tiwari, Adv.