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Gauhati High Court Quashes NSA Detention of Kaziranga Activist Pranab Doley
The court said the state failed to justify holding him under a law that allows detention without trial for up to a year.
On Friday, November 6, 2026, the Gauhati High Court quashed the preventive detention of land rights activist Pranab Doley under the National Security Act, ordering his release after 117 days in custody.
Golaghat Police arrested Doley on July 12, 2026, following protests against a luxury hotel project near Kaziranga National Park; the Assam government invoked the NSA on July 30 despite a local court granting bail on July 29.
Justices Kalyan Rai Surana and Susmita Phukan Khaund ruled the state failed to establish a direct link between Doley's activism and 13 past criminal cases, noting he had been acquitted or discharged in 11 of those instances.
Defense lawyer Dipesh Agarwala expects Doley's release from Golaghat district jail within two days, as the court cited severe procedural lapses including withheld defense documents.
Indigenous communities have opposed the luxury hotel project for four years, citing concerns about losing land and livelihoods, while opposition leaders criticized the state's use of the NSA as a tool to silence environmental dissent.