Allahabad HC orders release of UP doctor Kafeel Khan

NEW DELHI — The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday ordered the immediate release of Dr Kafeel Khan who was detained by Uttar Pradesh government under the National Security Act.

The NSA was invoked against Khan on February 13 on the orders of the Aligarh District Magistrate. The court stated that the order was illegal as grounds submitted by the authorities were not sufficient to detain Khan.

The doctor has been in jail since January 29 for allegedly delivering a provocative speech at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on December 10, 2019 during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests.

Khan had earlier hit the headlines after the 2017 tragedy at Gorakhpur’s Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, in which several kids died due to lack of oxygen cylinders.