H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023
BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT
DATED: 03.10.2023
Coram
THE HON'BLE MR.JUSTICE M.SUNDAR
and
THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE R.SAKTHIVEL
H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023
M.Jeyalakshmi,
W/o.Muthukumar,
6-12, North Amman Kovil Street,
Kangamoolam Puthukudiyiruppu,
Thovalai,
Kanniyakumari District. .. Petitioner
vs
1.The State of Tamil Nadu,
Represented by the Secretary to Government,
Home, Prohibition and Excise Department,
Secretariat,
Chennai – 600 009.
2.The District Collector and District Magistrate,
Kanniyakumari District,
Nagercoil.
3.The Superintendent of Prison,
Central Prison,
Palayamkottai,
Tirunelveli. .. Respondents
Prayer:- Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying
for issuance of a writ of Habeas Corpus calling for the entire records
connected with the detention order passed in P.D.No.18 of 2023 dated
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H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023
05.04.2023 on the file of the second respondent herein and quash the same
and direct the respondents to produce the detenu or body of the detenu
namely the petitioner's son i.e., Praveen, aged about 23 years,
S/o.Muthukumar, now detained at the Central Prison, Palayamkottai before
this Court and set him at liberty forthwith.
For Petitioner : Mr.N.Pragalathan
For Respondents : Mr.A.Thiruvadi Kumar
Additional Public Prosecutor
ORDER
[Order of the Court was made by M.SUNDAR, J.] Captioned 'Habeas Corpus Petition' ['HCP' for the sake of brevity] has been filed by the mother of the detenu assailing a 'preventive detention order dated 05.04.2023 bearing reference P.D.No.18 of 2023' [hereinafter 'impugned preventive detention order' for the sake of brevity and convenience'] made by 'second respondent' [hereinafter 'Detaining Authority' for the sake of convenience and clarity]. To be noted, sponsoring authority has not been arrayed as a respondent but we find that Station House Officer of Aralvoimozhy Police Station is the sponsoring authority [hereinafter 'Sponsoring Authority' for the sake of convenience and clarity].
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2.Captioned HCP has been admitted by Hon'ble Coordinate Division Bench in the Admission Board on 04.05.2023.
3.Impugned detention order has been made under 'The Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Cyber law offenders, Drug-offenders, Forest-offenders, Goondas, Immoral traffic offenders, Sand-offenders, Sexual-offenders, Slum-grabbers and Video Pirates Act, 1982 (Tamil Nadu Act No.14 of 1982)' [hereinafter 'Act 14 of 1982' for the sake of convenience and clarity] on the premise that the detenu is a 'Goonda' within the meaning of Section 2(f) of Act 14 of 1982.
4.There is no adverse case. This solitary case which is the sole substratum of the impugned preventive detention order is Crime No.54 of 2023 on the file of Aralvoimozhy Police Station for alleged offences under Sections 341 and 302 of 'The Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860)' [hereinafter 'IPC' for the sake of convenience and clarity] and subsequently altered into sections 147, 148, 341, 294(b) and 302 of IPC. Considering to the nature of the challenge to the impugned detention order, it is not necessary to delve into the factual matrix of the case.
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5.Mr.N.Pragalathan, learned counsel on record for petitioner and Mr.A.Thiruvadi Kumar, learned State Additional Public Prosecutor for all respondents are before us.
6.In the support affidavit qua captioned HCP very many points have been raised but Mr.N.Pragalathan, learned counsel for HCP petitioner (to be noted detenu is the son of HCP petitioner) in the final hearing today raised a point that 'live and proximate link' between grounds of detention and purpose of detention has snapped. Elaborating his argument in this direction, learned counsel submitted that even according to grounds of detention and the impugned preventive detention order, the date of arrest in the ground case is 17.02.2023 and the impugned preventive detention order has been made on 05.04.2023. It was pointed out that the ground case is a solitary case which constituted the sole substratum of the impugned preventive detention order. As a legal principle, a recent Judgment of Hon'ble Supreme Court (Sushanta Kumar Banik Vs. State of Tripura & others reported in 2022 Livelaw (SC) 813 : 2022 SCC Online SC 1333) was pressed into service. https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 4/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023
7.Learned Additional Public Prosecutor submitted that materials had to be collected and time was consumed in this exercise.
8.We have carefully considered the rival submissions.
9.We find that collection and collation of records cannot be the convincing explanation qua live and proximate link between grounds of detention and purpose of detention getting snapped.
10.Banik principle has been respectfully followed by this Court and one such order is order dated 20.06.2023 made in H.C.P.No.72 of 2023 which was pressed into service by learned counsel for HCP petitioner. The scanned reproduction of the same is as follows:- https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 5/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 6/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 7/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 8/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 9/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 10/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 11/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 12/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 13/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 14/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis 15/18 H.C.P(MD)No.551 of 2023
11.We find that the case on hand is one where the substratum of the impugned preventive detention order is constituted by a solitary case and therefore we sustain the submission of the HCP petitioner.
12.Ergo, the sequitur is, captioned HCP is allowed. Impugned detention order dated 05.04.2023 bearing reference P.D.No.18 of 2023 made by the second respondent is set aside and the detenu Thiru.Praveen, aged 23 years, son of Thiru.Muthukumar, is directed to be set at liberty forthwith, if not required in connection with any other case/cases. There shall be no order as to costs.
(M.S.,J.) (R.S.V.,J.) 03.10.2023 Index : Yes/No Neutral Citation : Yes/No ps P.S: Registry to forthwith communicate this order to Jail authorities in Central Prison, Palayamkottai.
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1.The Secretary to Government, Home, Prohibition and Excise Department, Secretariat, Chennai – 600 009.
2.The District Collector and District Magistrate, Kanniyakumari District, Nagercoil.
3.The Superintendent of Prison, Central Prison, Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli.
4.The Additional Public Prosecutor, Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, Madurai.
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