Noida: Shakambhari, wife of Satyam Verma – held in connection with the industrial unrest – has filed an application in the Supreme Court to withdraw her plea challenging his detention under NSA and move the Allahabad high court instead. The move came days after the HC quashed the NSA detention of fellow accused Aakriti Choudhary.While granting relief to Aakriti, the HC called the police case against her “concocted” and ordered her release if she was not wanted in another case, besides directing a Rs 5 lakh compensation. She will remain in custody because of other FIRs.The Supreme Court bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan has listed Shakambhari’s writ petition for Sept 7, when she will seek permission to withdraw it.The SC had been hearing two petitions linked to the unrest together — one by Keshaw Anand alleging custodial torture of his brother Aditya Anand, and Shakambhari’s plea challenging Satyam’s NSA detention and alleged illegalities in his arrest.Satyam’s legal team said it would shortly file a fresh habeas corpus petition before the HC, seeking an early hearing as the NSA was invoked against him and Aakriti on May 12.Keshaw said Satyam, a Lucknow-based journalist in his 60s, was picked up by Noida police in Lucknow on April 17 for questioning and brought to the NCR city. He alleged that Satyam was kept at Saffron Boys hostel rather than a police station or jail and produced before a magistrate on April 19.“We have challenged the illegalities involved in his arrest before the Lucknow bench of Allahabad HC,” Keshaw said.He said that plea was filed before the NSA was invoked, necessitating a fresh challenge to Satyam’s detention.CaRWAN also confirmed the move. Its member Suraj said the group was seeking clubbing of 11 FIRs against activists. “It is a tedious legal process to deal with 11 separate FIRs,” he said. The clubbing plea was heard on Thursday, but the final order is awaited.
