E.Logeswari v. The State Of Tamilnadu Rep By

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS

DATED: 24.09.2024 CORAM :

THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE S.M.SUBRAMANIAM AND THE HON'BLE MRS.JUSTICE N.MALA E.Logeswari ..

Petitioner v.

1. State of Tamil Nadu rep by Secretary to Government Prohibition and Excise Department Fort St.George, Chennai 600 009

2. The Commissioner of Police Avadi City

3. The Superintendent Central Prison Puzhal, Chennai

4. The Inspector of Police E-3 Minjur Police Station Chennai ..

Respondents Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, praying for issuance of a Writ of Habeas Corpus, calling for the records on the file of the 2nd respondent in No.72/BCDFGISSSV/2024 dated

11.06.2024 quash the same and direct the respondents to produce the person or body of the detenu Thiru.Jayakumar @ Bravo, S/o Ellappan, aged 22 years, produce before this Hon'ble Court and set him at liberty, who is now detained in Central Prison, Puzhal, Chennai.

For Petitioner ::

Mr.M.Jaisingh For Respondents ::

Mr.E.Raj Thilak Additional Public Prosecutor

ORDER

(Order of the Court was made by S.M.SUBRAMANIAM,J.) The petitioner herein, who is the mother of the detenu viz., Jayakumar @ Bravo, S/o Ellappan, aged 22 years, now confined at Central Prison, Puzhal, Chennai, has come forward with this petition challenging the detention order passed by the second respondent in No.72/BCDFGISSSV/2024 dated 11.06.2024.

2. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner as well as the learned Additional Public Prosecutor appearing for the respondents.

3. Though several grounds are raised in the petition, the learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that there is an inordinate delay in

passing the order of detention.

4. In the instant case, the detenu was arrested on 29.04.2024 and thereafter, the detention order came to be passed on 11.06.2024. This fact is not disputed by the learned Additional Public Prosecutor.

5. In the case of 'Sushanta Kumar Banik Vs. State of Tripura', reported in '2022 LiveLaw (SC) 813', when there was an inordinate delay from the date of proposal till passing of the detention order and likewise, between the date of detention order and the actual arrest, the Hon'ble Supreme Court had held that the live and proximate link, between the grounds and the purpose of detention, stands snapped in arresting the detenu. The relevant observation of the Hon'ble Supreme Court is extracted hereunder:- "20. It is manifestly clear from a conspectus of the above decisions of this Court, that the underlying principle is that if there is unreasonable delay between the date of the order of detention & actual arrest of the detenu and in the same manner from the date of the proposal and passing of the order of

detention, such delay unless satisfactorily explained throws a considerable doubt on the genuineness of the requisite subjective satisfaction of the detaining authority in passing the detention order and consequently render the detention order bad and invalid because the "live and proximate link" between the grounds of detention and the purpose of detention is snapped in arresting the detenu. A question whether the delay is unreasonable and stands unexplained depends on the facts and circumstances of each case."

6. Drawing inspiration from the judgment in Sushanta Kumar Banik's case, a co-ordinate Bench of this Court in the case of 'Gomathi Vs. Principal Secretary to Government and Others', reported in '2023 SCC OnLine Mad 6332', had held that when there is an inordinate delay from the date of arrest/date of proposal till the order of detention, the live and proximate link between them would also stand snapped and thereby, had quashed the detention order on this ground.

7. In yet another case i.e., in 'Nagaraj Vs. State of Tamil Nadu', reported in '(2018) 3 MWN (Crl.) 428', this Court had held that the delay

of 36 days in passing the detention order after the arrest of the detenu would snap the live and proximate link between the grounds and purpose of detention. Hence, in view of the unexplained and inordinate delay in passing the order of detention after the arrest of the detenu, the detention order in the present case is liable to be quashed.

8. Accordingly, the detention order passed by the second respondent in No.72/BCDFGISSSV/2024 dated 11.06.2024 is hereby set aside and the habeas corpus petition is allowed. The detenu viz., Jayakumar @ Bravo, S/o Ellappan, aged 22 years, now confined at Central Prison, Puzhal, Chennai, is directed to be set at liberty forthwith, unless his confinement is required in connection with any other case.

Index : yes (S.M.S.,J.) (N.M.,J.) 24.09.2024 ss To

1. The Secretary to Government Prohibition and Excise Department Fort St.George, Chennai 600 009

2. The Commissioner of Police Avadi City

3. The Superintendent Central Prison Puzhal, Chennai

4. The Inspector of Police E-3 Minjur Police Station Chennai

5. The Public Prosecutor High Court, Madras

S.M.SUBRAMANIAM,J.

AND N.MALA,J.

ss 24.09.2024