Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Sheel Nagu began the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Mulla Afroz preventive detention case with a tribute to Justice Datta’s late law clerk-cum-research associate, Ritwik Deswal, who passed away four days before his 27th birthday, and dedicated the judgment to his memory.
New Delhi: A Bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday pronounced its judgment in the National Security Act detention case of Mulla Afroz with a tribute to Ritwik Deswal, the law clerk-cum-research associate in Justice Dipankar Datta’s office, who passed away days short of his 27th birthday, and dedicated the judgment to his memory [Mulla Afroz v. Union of India and Others].
The Bench comprised Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Sheel Nagu. The morning pronouncement in Court 6 was described as unconventional, since the Bench recorded its deep sorrow at the untimely passing of the young law clerk before it turned to the ruling. LawChakra has not yet reviewed the written judgment, and this account is based on reports of the pronouncement and of the judgment’s opening paragraphs.
The tribute
According to reports, the judgment opens under the heading “In Memoriam.” It records that Deswal passed away four days before his 27th birthday, which fell on the day of the pronouncement. The Bench expressed its deep appreciation for the research assistance he rendered in the build-up to the preparation of the judgment, and said that the judgment bears the “quiet and indelible imprint” of his final labour.
Justice Datta is reported to have written that human life is fragile, and that Deswal’s passing has left a deep void. The Bench described the judgment as their “final collaboration” and dedicated it to his memory, recalling his integrity, his commitment to the law, his love for academia and his other qualities of head and heart. The reports do not state the circumstances of his passing, and LawChakra has not sought to establish them.
The judgment that followed
The judgment then turned to the challenge by Mulla Afroz, an accused in the 2024 Sambhal violence, to his preventive detention under the National Security Act, 1980. The Bench quashed the detention order, set aside the Allahabad High Court judgment that had upheld it, and imposed costs of Rs 10 lakh on the Uttar Pradesh government. The allegations against Afroz in the criminal cases are untested, and the ruling concerns only the legality of the detention.
Why it matters
Judgments seldom name the young law graduates who assist judges with research and drafting, which makes an acknowledgement of this kind unusual. The tribute is a reminder of the work done behind the scenes in the Court’s chambers, and it places on the judicial record the contribution of a member of Justice Datta’s office to a judgment delivered on the day of his birthday.
Case Title: Mulla Afroz v. Union of India and Others [SLP (Crl) No. 012534 of 2026]
Bench: Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Sheel Nagu, Supreme Court of India
Date of Judgment: September 29, 2026