Madras High Court
P.Mercy vs The State Of Tamilnadu on 4 June, 2025
Author: A.D.Jagadish Chandira
Bench: A.D.Jagadish Chandira
HCP(MD)No.1299 of 2024
BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT
DATED : 04.06.2025
CORAM:
THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE A.D.JAGADISH CHANDIRA
and
THE HONOURABLE MS.JUSTICE R.POORNIMA
HABEAS CORPUS PETITION(MD)No.1299 of 2024
P.Mercy ... Petitioner
vs.
1. The State of Tamilnadu,
Rep. by the Additional Chief Secretary to Government,
Home, Prohibition and Excise Department,
Secretariat,
Chennai-600 009.
2. The District Collector and District Magistrate,
Thoothukudi District,
Thoothukudi.
3. The Superintendent of Prison,
Central Prison,
Palayamkottai,
Tirunelveli.
4. The Superintendent,
District Jail,
Perurani,
Thoothukudi District. ... Respondents
PRAYER: Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of
India, to issue a Writ of Habeas Corpus, calling for the entire records
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HCP(MD)No.1299 of 2024
connected with the detention order passed in H.S(M)Confdl.No.
114/2024 dated 31.07.2024 on the file of the 2nd 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., Jegan @ Jeganraj,
aged about 21 years, S/o. Ponraj, now detained at the District Jail,
Perurani, Thoothukudi District, 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 A.D.JAGADISH CHANDIRA, J.]
The petitioner is the mother of the detenu viz., Jegan @
Jeganraj, S/o. Ponraj, aged about 21 years. The detenu has been detained
by the second respondent by his order in H.S(M)Confdl.No.114/2024
dated 31.07.2024, holding him to be a "Goonda", as contemplated under
Section 2(f) of Tamil Nadu Act 14 of 1982. The said order is under
challenge in this Habeas Corpus Petition.
2. We have heard the learned counsel appearing for the
petitioner and the learned Additional Public Prosecutor appearing for
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the respondents. We have also perused the records produced by the
Detaining Authority.
3. Though several grounds have been raised in the habeas
corpus petition, learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that the
translated copy of the documents relied on by the Detaining Authority at
Page Nos.77, 79, 81 and 83 of the Booklet, in vernacular language, has
not been furnished to the detenu. It is, therefore, stated that the detenu
is deprived of his valuable right to make an effective representation.
4. On a perusal of the Booklet, this Court finds that the
translated copy of the documents relied on by the Detaining Authority at
Page Nos. 77, 79, 81 and 83 of the Booklet, in vernacular language, has
not been furnished to the detenu. Therefore, we are of the view that the
non-furnishing of translated copy of the said documents in the
vernacular language would deprive the detenu of his valuable right to
make an effective representation. It is in the said circumstances, this
Court finds that the impugned detention order passed by the Detaining
Authority is vitiated.
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5. In this context, it is useful to refer to the Judgment of the
Honourable Supreme Court in the case of Powanammal vs. State of
Tamil Nadu, reported in (1999) 2 SCC 413, wherein the Apex Court, after
discussing the safeguards embodied in Article 22(5) of the Constitution
of India, observed that the detenu should be afforded an opportunity of
making a representation effectively against the detention order and that,
the failure to supply every material in the language which can be
understood by the detenu, is imperative. The relevant portion of the
said decision is extracted hereunder:
''6. The short question that falls for our
consideration is whether failure to supply the Tamil
version of the order of remand passed in English, a
language not known to the detenue, would vitiate her
further detention.
...
...
9. However, this Court has maintained a
distinction between a document which has been relied
upon by the detaining authority in the grounds of
detention and a document which finds a mere reference in
the grounds of detention. Whereas the non-supply of a
copy of the document relied upon in the grounds of
detention has been held to be fatal to continued detention,
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the detenu need not show that any prejudice is caused to
him. This is because the non-supply of such a document
would amount to denial of the right of being
communicated the grounds and of being afforded the
opportunity of making an effective representation against
the order. But it would not be so where the document
merely finds a reference in the order of detention or
among the grounds thereof. In such a case, the detenu's
complaint of non-supply of document has to be supported
by prejudice caused to him in making an effective
representation. What applies to a document would
equally apply to furnishing a translated copy of the
document in the language known to and understood by
the detenu, should the document be in a different
language.
...
16. For the above reasons, in our view, the non
supply of the Tamil version of the English document, on
the facts and in the circumstances, renders her continued
detention illegal. We, therefore, direct that the detenue be
set free forthwith unless she is required to be detained in
any other case. The appeal is accordingly allowed.''
6. We find that the above cited Powanammal's case applies in
all force to the case on hand as we find that non-furnishing of translated
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copy of the documents relied on by the Detaining Authority at Page Nos.
77, 79, 81 and 83 of the Booklet, in vernacular language, to the detenu,
has impaired his constitutional right to make an effective representation
against the impugned preventive detention order. To be noted, this
constitutional right is ingrained in the form of a safeguard in Clause (5)
of Article 22 of the Constitution of India. We, therefore, have no
hesitation in quashing the impugned detention order.
7. In the result, the Habeas Corpus Petition is allowed and
the order of detention in H.S(M)Confdl.No.114/2024 dated 31.07.2024,
passed by the second respondent is set aside. The detenu viz., Jegan @
Jeganraj, S/o. Ponraj, aged about 21 years, is directed to be released
forthwith, unless his detention is required in connection with any other
case.
[A.D.J.C., J.] [R.P., J.]
04.06.2025
Index : Yes / No
Neutral Citation : Yes / No
bala
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To:
1. The Additional Chief Secretary to Government,
State of Tamilnadu,
Home, Prohibition and Excise Department,
Secretariat,
Chennai-600 009.
2. The District Collector and District Magistrate,
Thoothukudi District,
Thoothukudi.
3. The Superintendent of Prison,
Central Prison,
Palayamkottai,
Tirunelveli.
4. The Superintendent,
District Jail,
Perurani,
Thoothukudi District.
5.The Additional Public Prosecutor,
Madurai Bench of Madras High Court,
Madurai.
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A.D.JAGADISH CHANDIRA, J.
AND
R.POORNIMA, J.
bala
ORDER MADE IN
DATED : 04.06.2025
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