The Gauhati High Court has quashed the preventive detention of Victor Das under the National Security Act (NSA) 1980, directing his immediate release if he is not required in any other case.
The order was delivered on Friday by a Division Bench of Justice Kalyan Rai Surana and Justice Anjan Moni Kalita annulled the detention order dated October 7, 2025, along with the grounds cited for detention, and the subsequent approval of the State Government.
Das, who had been in custody for several months despite securing bail in two local cases, is now set to be released following the court’s order.
The preventive detention was imposed under Section 3(2) of the National Security Act by the Commissioner of Police, Guwahati, in the aftermath of unrest triggered by the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg.
Two criminal cases were registered against him at Azara Police Station and Fatasil Ambari Police Station alleging that he mobilised crowds, instigated unrest, damaged public property and obstructed police personnel. Though he secured bail in one of the cases, he was subsequently detained under the preventive detention law. The detention order was approved by the Governor of Assam on October 14, 2025.
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Challenging the detention under Article 226 of the Constitution, Das contended that the order was illegal and suffered from serious procedural lapses.
The Bench also criticized the authorities for “unreasonable and unexplained delays” in addressing Das’s representations.
Das submitted his representations on October 22, 2025, to which the Commissioner of Police responded on October 31, 2025. The State Government rejected the representation on November 7, 2025, and the Central Government rejected it on November 14, 2025.
The State’s explanation that holidays caused part of the delay was deemed insufficient.
