Gauhati High Court quashes NSA detention of Assam rights activist

The Gauhati High Court on Friday annulled the preventive detention of Assam rights activist <b>Pranab Doley</b> under the National Security Act (NSA). Doley was arrested in Guwahati on July 12 for protesting against a proposed luxury hotel at Inglay Pathar near Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat district, and was released on bail by a district court on July 29. The state government invoked the NSA the following day, keeping him in custody. A division bench of Justices <b>Kalyan Rai Surana</b> and <b>Susmita Phukan Khaund</b> found the detention order to be vitiated and unsustainable on facts and law, citing lack of evidence to justify the NSA application. The court’s ruling restores Doley’s liberty and signals a check on the use of NSA for political dissent, with the case now closed pending further legal review.