Habeas Corpus

The Supreme Court quashed Mulla Afroz's NSA detention, holding a confessional statement cannot be the sole ground for preventive detention, and imposed ₹10 lakh costs on Uttar Pradesh.

On March 14, 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs revoked Sonam Wangchuk's detention under the National Security Act after nearly six months, while the Supreme Court was actively hearing a habeas corpus petition challenging the legality of his continued detention. Here is a full account of the case and what remains unresolved.

The Supreme Court ruled that a writ of habeas corpus cannot be used as a "backdoor" to get bail after regular applications have been rejected. The Court called a High Court's order releasing an accused "totally unknown to law".