Salathmari v. The Secretary To Government

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS

DATED: 11.06.2019 Coram The Hon'ble Mr. Justice M.M.SUNDRESH and The Hon'ble Mr. Justice M.NIRMAL KUMAR H.C.P.No.280 of 2019 Salathmari ..

Petitioner Vs

1. The State of Tamil Nadu, Rep.by its Secretary to Government, Department of Prohibition and Excise(Home), Fort St. George, Chennai - 9.

2. The Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai Police, Veppery, Chennai ..

Respondents Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying for a writ of habeas corpus, to call for the records in BCDFGISSSV No.01/2019 dated 03.01.2019 on the file of second respondent herein and set aside the same as illegal and directing the respondents to produce the petitioner's son Prashanth, S/o Babu, aged about 24 years, who is confined at Central Prison, Puzhal, Chennai - 66 before this Court and set him at liberty.

For Petitioner ..

Mr.K. Thenrajan For Respondents ..

Mr.R. Prathap Kumar Addl. Public Prosecutor

ORDER

(Judgment of the Court was delivered by M.M.SUNDRESH, J.) The petitioner is the mother of the detenu Prasanth, S/o Babu, aged about 24 years. The detenu has been detained by the second respondent by his order in BCDFGISSSV No.01/2019 dated 03.01.2019, holding him to be a "BOOTLEGGER", as contemplated

under Section 2(b) 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 the respondents. We have also perused the records produced by the Detaining Authority.

3.Though many grounds have been raised in the petition, learned counsel appearing for the petitioner, confines his argument only in respect of non-application of mind on the part of the detaining authority in passing the order of detention. According to the learned counsel appearing for the petitioner, the sponsoring authority has stated in the Arrest Memo, furnished to the detenu, that the arrest of the detenu has been intimated to the family member of the detenu. However, there is no material to substantiate the service of arrest intimation stated to have been made to the family member of the detenu. Therefore, it is stated that the detenu was deprived of making an effective representation in the absence of furnishing of full particulars by the detaining authority. Hence, it is stated that the Detaining Authority has passed the impugned detention order in total non-application of mind.

4.Per contra, the learned Additional Public Prosecutor would submit that the arrest of the detenu has been intimated to the family member of the detenu through SMS. However we find that there are no material particulars to substantiate the same. This Court has also taken the similar view in such cases that the detention order cannot be sustained.

5.As evidenced from the document found in the Booklet produced before us, a mere endorsement is made by the authorities to the effect that the arrest intimation has been informed to the family member of the detenu through SMS but no materials have been furnished to substantiate that the said intimation was sent through Thapal or Registered post or as per the procedure laid down. Therefore, non-furnishing of details given to the relatives of the detenu would amount to deprivation of the right of the detenu to make an effective representation and the same would vitiate the order of detention and the same cannot be sustained in the eye of law.

6.It is a trite law that personal liberty protected under Article 21 is so sacrosanct and so high in the scale of Constitutional values that it is the obligation of the detaining authority to show that the impugned detention meticulously accords with the procedure established by law. Preventive detention is preventive and not punitive. When ordinary law of the land is sufficient to deal with, taking recourse to the

preventive detention law is illegal. The impugned detention order is therefore liable to be quashed.

7.In the result, the Habeas Corpus Petition is allowed and the order of detention in BCDFGISSSV No.01/2019 dated 03.01.2019, passed by the second respondent is set aside. The detenu, namely, Prasanth, S/o Babu, aged about 24 years is directed to be released forthwith unless his detention is required in connection with any other case.

Sd/- Assistant Registrar(CCC) //True copy// Sub Assistant Registrar sr To

1. The Secretary to Government, Department of Prohibition and Excise(Home), Fort St. George, Chennai - 9.

2. 2. The Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai Police, Veppery, Chennai 3.The Superintendent of Central Prison, Puzhal, Chennai.

4. The Joint Secretary to Government, Public (Law and Order), Fort St. George, Chennai - 9.

5.The Public Prosecutor, High Court, Madras.

H.C.P.No.280 of 2019 RR(CO) GMY(11/07/2019)