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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.
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The Wire broke the news in New Delhi, India on Friday, November 6, 2026.
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