Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court on Friday quashed the detention of indigenous and land rights activist Pranab Doley under the National Security Act (NSA), paving the way for his release after 117 days in custody.
A division bench passed the order on Doley’s challenge to his detention, advocate Dipesh Agarwala, one of the lawyers representing him, said. A copy of the judgment was not immediately available.
Doley, convenor of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee (GKLHRPC), was arrested on July 12, days after participating in a protest against a proposed luxury Hyatt hotel project at Ingle Pathar, a village abutting Kaziranga National Park.
Police had alleged that Doley unlawfully trespassed into the site of the Tea Tribes Museum and the nearby Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) Hyatt project during the protest, carrying deadly weapons.
A sessions court in Golaghat granted him bail on July 29, observing that the investigating officer had already recorded statements of key witnesses and that there was no possibility of Doley concealing or tampering with evidence.
However, the Assam government invoked the National Security Act against him on July 30, a day after the bail order, preventing his release from custody.
The government had alleged that Doley was involved in suspicious foreign transactions from doubtful sources in violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.
The National Security Act allows preventive detention without trial for up to 12 months, subject to statutory safeguards.
Doley’s arrest followed protests by indigenous communities against the proposed five-star Hyatt hotel near Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The communities have opposed the project for four years, citing concerns over its potential impact on land rights and livelihoods.