Firdhouse Fathima v. The State Of Tamilnadu Rep By
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
DATED : 06.01.2025 CORAM :
THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE S.M.SUBRAMANIAM AND THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE M.JOTHIRAMAN H.C.P.No.3037 of 2024 Firdhouse Fathima ... Petitioner Vs.
1.The State of Tamil Nadu, Reep. By the Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Home, Prohibition and Excise Department, Secretariat, Chennai - 600 009.
2.The Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, Chennai.
3.The Superintendent of Prisons, Central Prison, Puzhal, Chennai - 600 066.
4.The Inspector of Police, Law and order, B-1, North Beach Police Station, Chennai.
... Respondents PRAYER: Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India to issue a Writ of Habeas Corpus, to call for the entire records from the 2nd respondent in connection with order No.1107/BCDFGISSV/2024 dated 06.11.2024 and quash the same and produce the petitioner's husband
namely, Jaffer Sadiq, S/o.Mohammed Hassan aged 29 years, now confined in Central Prison, Puzhal, Chennai under the Tamil Nadu Act 14 of 1982 before this Court and set him at liberty.
For Petitioner : Mrs.S.Nadhiya For Respondents : Mr.R.Muniyapparaj Additional Public Prosecutor
ORDER
(Order of the Court was made by S.M.SUBRAMANIAM, J.) The order of detention passed by the 2nd respondent in proceedings No.1107/BCDFGISSV/2024 dated 06.11.2024 is sought to be quashed in the present Habeas Corpus Petition.
2. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner, as well as the learned Additional Public Prosecutor appearing for the respondents.
3. One adverse case has been relied on along with the ground case for invoking Act 14 of 1982. The adverse case was registered in Crime No.34 of 2019 has no proximity with the ground case. The ground case can be dealt with by the authorities by ordinary law in force.
3.1.
Another ground relied by 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 04.10.2024 and thereafter, the detention order came to be passed on 06.11.2024. 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 (Cri) 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. We do not find any reason to confirm the order of detntion. Accordingly, the detention order passed by the second respondent in No.1107/BCDFGISSV/2024 dated 06.11.2024, is hereby set aside and the Habeas Corpus Petition is allowed. The detenu viz. Jaffer Sadiq, S/o.Mohammed Hassan aged 29 years, now confined in Central Prison, Puzhal, Chennai, is directed to be set at liberty forthwith, unless his confinement is required in connection with any other case. [S.M.S., J.] [M.J.R., J.] 06.01.2025 Index: Yes/No Internet:Yes/No gd
S.M.SUBRAMANIAM, J.
AND M.JOTHIRAMAN, J.
gd To 1.The State of Tamil Nadu, Reep. By the Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Home, Prohibition and Excise Department, Secretariat, Chennai - 600 009.
2.The Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, Chennai.
3.The Superintendent of Prisons, Central Prison, Puzhal, Chennai - 600 066.
4.The Inspector of Police, Law and order, B-1, North Beach Police Station, Chennai.
5.The Joint Secretary to Government Public (Law and Order), Fort ST.George, Chennai - 9.
6.The Public Prosecutor, Madras High Court.
H.C.P.No.3037 of 2024 06.01.2025