A severe judicial backlash has erupted after a local administrative official in Uttar Pradesh issued a hefty notice demanding a personal bond from a university student, directly flouting clear directives issued by the apex court. The Chief Justice voiced intense frustration over the move, triggering widespread concern within the district administration and police ranks.
The Background of Student Akshat Tripathi and the Protest
Akshat Tripathi, a native of Jhansi, is pursuing his Bachelor of Technology degree at the prominent Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida. Sometime ago, Tripathi participated in a demonstration organized by CJP at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. His involvement was entirely peaceful, focused on organizing fellow students without any reports of violence or property damage. However, merely three days after the Supreme Court granted comprehensive protection across the country under Article 142, Assistant Commissioner of Police and Executive Magistrate Dr. Ravi Shankar Shanker served a notice under section 126/135 of the BNSS to Tripathi on September 4. The document alleged that the student was propagating anti-government narratives, demanding a personal bond of five lakh rupees along with two local sureties to maintain public peace.
Legal Counsel and Supreme Court Reaction
When senior legal representatives brought this contentious action before the bench headed by the Chief Justice, the court reacted with profound annoyance. Legal counsel informed reporters that the bench treated the matter with utmost gravity. Given that the highest court had explicitly barred coercive steps against students, questions were raised as to how an official could overstep jurisdictional boundaries to issue such a directive.
Administrative Profile of ACP Dr. Ravi Shankar Mishra
The officer whose actions drew judicial reprimand possesses the following service background
- Name: Dr. Ravi Shankar Mishra
- Batch and Cadre: PPS 2018 (Appointment Date: May 31, 2021)
- Current Designation: ACP and Executive Magistrate (Third), Police Commissionerate Gautam Buddh Nagar
- Native District: Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh
- Educational Qualification: Ph.D.
Past Judicial Scrutiny Involving Local Administration
This is not an isolated instance of local authorities facing judicial ire for heavy-handed actions. Recently, the Allahabad High Court strongly reprimanded Noida administration officials, including the District Magistrate, for unjustly imposing strict detention laws on a twenty-four-year-old female student. The court warned that such autocratic tendencies risk fostering an oppressive bureaucratic environment, ordering that a penalty of five lakh rupees be recovered directly from the salaries of the responsible officers. Despite that cautionary ruling, the local police machinery appeared to repeat similar overreach by attempting to penalize dissent without legal backing.
