Innocent jailed for a year, Shahdol Collector fined:High Court orders ₹2 lakh payout to victim wrongly booked under NSA

In a shocking case of administrative negligence, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on Shahdol Collector Dr. Kedar Singh for wrongfully detaining an innocent man under the National Security Act (NSA) for over a year. The court has ordered the collector to pay the amount from his own pocket and directed a departmental inquiry into the matter. Wrong person jailed under NSA due to mistaken order The case involves Sushant Bais, a resident of Saman village in Beohari, Shahdol district, who was arrested and jailed for over a year after the collector issued an NSA order in his name instead of the actual accused, Neerajkant Dwivedi. The Shahdol Superintendent of Police had recommended NSA action against Dwivedi, but the collector mistakenly — or allegedly deliberately — issued the order against Bais. As a result, Sushant was arrested and spent over a year in jail before being released following a petition in the High Court, which uncovered the administrative error. Court slams collector for misuse of power A division bench of Justice Vivek Agrawal and Justice A.K. Singh observed that the collector not only acted arbitrarily but also submitted false documents and affidavits in court. The judges described the conduct as a serious violation of fundamental rights. Advocate Brahmendra Prasad Pathak, representing the petitioner, argued that the collector passed the NSA order in haste and possibly under the influence of a local sand contractor. The court found merit in the claim and ruled that the collector’s actions were unjustified and unlawful. One year of illegal custody, contempt action ordered The High Court imposed a Rs 2 lakh fine on Collector Dr. Singh and ordered contempt proceedings for presenting misleading documents and affidavits. The court has also summoned him to appear on November 25. Government’s “typing error” claim rejected The Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) submitted an affidavit claiming that the wrongful order was a “typing error” caused by a clerk, Rakesh Tiwari. However, the court dismissed the explanation, noting that it is a more serious issue if orders are written by clerks and merely signed by senior officials without scrutiny. The High Court directed the Chief Secretary to initiate departmental inquiries against both the ACS (Home) and the Shahdol Collector. Justice delayed, but not denied After spending over a year in custody, Sushant Bais has finally received justice. The court’s decision reinforces that the rule of law still prevails, even in cases of grave administrative oversight.