Allahabad High Court orders release of Dr Kafeel Khan

New Delhi - The court called his detention under the National Security Act "illegal"

The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday ordered the release of Dr Kafeel Khan, who was jailed under the tough National Security Act (NSA) for an alleged speech against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), NDTV reported.
The court called his detention under the law "illegal", noting that the doctor's speech did not show any effort to promote hate or violence.
Dr Khan was charged under the NSA for his speech against the CAA at a talk at the Aligarh Muslim University late last year.
The doctor, who hails from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on January 29.
Dr Khan is currently lodged in a jail in Mathura.
"A complete reading of the speech prima facie does not disclose any effort to promote hatred or violence. It also no where threatens peace and tranquility of the city of Aligarh," the high court said on Tuesday, according to the NDTV report.
The court said: "It appears that the District Magistrate had selective reading and selective mention for few phrases from the speech ignoring its true intent."

• India