New Delhi. The Supreme Court has made important oral observations regarding the responsibility of Noida District Magistrate Medha Rupam in the case of detention of student activist Akriti Chaudhary under the National Security Act (NSA). The court said that when the decision to detain was taken after investigation, reports, and approval by several officials, it would not be appropriate to hold the District Magistrate alone responsible for it. A bench of Justices SC Sharma and NK Singh reserved its decision after completing the hearing on Medha Rupam's petition.

What is the whole matter? The Allahabad High Court declared Akriti Chaudhary's detention illegal and revoked it. The court also ordered that five lakh rupees be deducted from the salary of District Magistrate Medha Rupam and given to Akriti Chaudhary as compensation. Challenging this High Court order, Medha Rupam has approached the Supreme Court. Now, the Supreme Court must decide whether the order holding the District Magistrate personally responsible for the detention decision and recovering the compensation amount from her salary was justified.

What was the government's argument? Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, told the court that the DM did not make the detention decision independently. The relevant report had been passed through various police department officials, including the SHO, DCP, and Police Commissioner. He also pointed out that the advisory board constituted under the National Security Act had also reviewed the case. Meanwhile, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Medha Rupam, argued that five levels of process had been completed before the final decision was reached. According to him, the DM had to make his decision based on the available documents and legal provisions.

All eyes on the Supreme Court's comment: During the hearing, the bench orally stated that if the decision-making process went through multiple stages, the District Magistrate alone cannot be held responsible for awarding the five lakh rupees compensation. Following this comment, the case is awaiting a final decision. However, the Supreme Court has not yet issued its decision and has reserved its judgment on the petition.

Who is Medha Rupam? Medha Rupam is a 2014 batch IAS officer and served as the first female District Magistrate of Noida. Born in Agra, Medha received her schooling in Kerala and completed her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University. She secured the 10th All India Rank in the Union Public Service Commission examination in 2014. Prior to her posting in Noida, she held various administrative positions in several districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Bareilly, Meerut, Hapur, and Kasganj.