New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has ordered the immediate release of a young man detained under the National Security Act, 1980 (NSA), in connection with a caste-based humiliation incident in Madhya Pradesh, where he was allegedly forced to wash an upper-caste man’s feet and drink the water. The Court stayed the directions issued by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which had led to the invocation of preventive detention laws against the accused.
The order was passed by a Bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta while hearing a special leave petition challenging the High Court’s suo motu intervention in the matter.
The case arose from a video that went viral on social media, showing a young man belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community being publicly humiliated at a village temple in Damoh district. The incident was reportedly triggered by an AI-generated meme allegedly shared by the youth, which was perceived as insulting. Following public outrage, the Madhya Pradesh High Court took suo motu cognisance of the video and described the incident as a grave affront to human dignity and constitutional values.
In its suo motu proceedings, the High Court directed the State authorities to invoke stringent penal provisions, including preventive detention under the NSA, against the persons involved. Acting on these directions, the District Magistrate ordered the detention of multiple individuals under Section 3 of the NSA.
Before the Supreme Court, the petitioner challenged the legality of the preventive detention, arguing that the stringent requirements for invoking the NSA were not satisfied. It was contended that the alleged acts, though condemnable, did not meet the threshold of threatening public order so as to justify preventive detention. The petition also raised serious procedural concerns, pointing out that the detention orders were executed even before the High Court’s directions were formally uploaded and communicated.
The Supreme Court, upon hearing the submissions, stayed the High Court’s directions insofar as they related to preventive detention and ordered the immediate release of the accused. The Bench indicated that the use of preventive detention laws requires strict adherence to constitutional safeguards and cannot be resorted to mechanically in response to public outrage.
The Court also took note of the broader constitutional issues involved, including the balance between addressing caste-based atrocities and safeguarding personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution. The matter has been kept pending for further consideration, during which the Supreme Court is expected to examine the scope of judicial directions leading to executive action under preventive detention statutes.
Case Details
Case Title: Anuj Pandey v. High Court of Madhya Pradesh & Ors.
Case Number: Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No. 20650 of 2025
Court: Supreme Court of India
Bench: Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta
Date of Order: January 6, 2026
Advocates Appearing:
- For the Petitioner: Counsel for the accused, as per record
- For the Respondents (State of Madhya Pradesh): State counsel / Additional Advocate General, as per record
