Updated: September 1, 2020 12:19:30 pm
Dr. Kafeel Khan was booked under the National Security Act (NSA) for alleged hate speech. (Photo / PTI Archive)
On Tuesday, the Allahabad High Court dismissed the charges brought against Dr. Kafeel Khan under the National Security Act (NSA) and ordered his immediate release. Khan has been housed in Mathura Prison in Uttar Pradesh since January 29, 2020.
The court, headed by Chief Justice Govind Mathur and made up of Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh, was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Khan’s mother, Nuzhat Parveen, who requested his release on the grounds that he had been illegally detained.
In her petition, Parveen said her son had been granted bail in February, but the NSA was invoked against him before he could be released. Parveen said he was not released until four days after he was bailed, making his detention illegal.
Khan was accused of delivering a provocative speech at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on December 10, 2019 during the Anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests.
In mid-August, the UP government extended Khan’s detention for another three months.
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