The court asked how the term “Andolanjivi” appeared in grounds for detaining journalist Satyam Verma under India’s National Security Act. The bench reserved its decision on his challenge.
A two-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court heard Verma’s petition on October 8. He is challenging a May 12 detention order signed by Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Medha Roopam, along with the Uttar Pradesh government’s approval and confirmation. Verma has asked the court to quash the orders, release him and award compensation for what he describes as unlawful detention.
Justice Atul Sreedharan asked the state’s counsel where the word “Andolanjivi” came from and how it entered an official document. The judges also questioned whether a person’s ideology, reading material or organizational ties could, by themselves, provide a valid basis for preventive detention.
The detention grounds describe Verma as a founding member of the Revolutionary Workers Party of India and a publisher and writer for Mazdoor Bigul. They accuse him of indirectly inciting industrial workers during the April 2026 Noida protest and allege he planned unrest at a March 22 meeting in Delhi. The document says members affiliated with him added 883 workers to messaging groups used for mass incitement, and that he was present at a protest hotspot on April 10 and 11. These are allegations in the detention order, not findings by the court.
The order also cites copies of Mazdoor Bigul, books inspired by Mao Zedong and other documents allegedly recovered from Verma’s office. It attributes damage to more than 100 companies, the burning of over 50 vehicles and a loss of 3,000 crore rupees to violence on April 13. The bench reserved its ruling on October 8. The report did not say when the court would announce its decision.