India, Oct. 1 -- The Supreme Court's decision to impose a Rs.10 lakh fine on Uttar Pradesh for a National Security Act (NSA) detention order in the 2024 Sambhal mosque violence case opens the door to ensure personal liberty, even under stringent laws stacked against the accused. Observing that preventive detention cannot become punitive, a bench of justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu set aside the detention order issued in October 2025 by the Sambhal district magistrate. The court held that the order was based on a custodial confession by the accused, which cannot act as the sole basis for curtailing his liberty.

Two aspects of the case stand out. First, during the hearing, UP didn't even oppose the accused's contention that he was to...