Kamakshya Mukherjee Vs The State

Calcutta High Court 15 Feb 1968 Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 407 of 1967 (1968) 02 CAL CK 0034
Bench: Division Bench
Acts Referenced

Judgement Snapshot

Case Number

Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 407 of 1967

Hon'ble Bench

R.N. Dutt, J; N.C. Talukdar, J

Advocates

Manindra Mohan Sinha and Rabindra Narayan Chakraborty, for the Appellant;Dilip Kumar Dutt, for the Respondent

Acts Referred
  • Constitution of India, 1950 - Article 21, 22, 22(5)
  • Criminal Procedure Code, 1898 (CrPC) - Section 491
  • Defence of India Rules, 1962 - Rule 30, 30A(9)
  • Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) - Section 307, 324, 379, 380, 461
  • Preventive Detention Act, 1950 - Section 3, 3(1), 3(2)

Judgement Text

Translate:

N.C. Talukdar, J.@mdashThis Rule was issued upon an application u/s 491 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, filed on behalf of the detenue, Kamakshya Mukherjee, praying for a writ and/or direction in the nature of habeas corpus against the State of West Bengal, the District Magistrate, Jalpaiguri, and the Superintendent of Jail, Jalpaiguri.

2. The applicant before us has been detained u/s 3(2)(a) of the Preventive Detention Act, 1950 (IV of 1950) by an order, being order No. 16 P.D.A. dated August 9, 1967, passed by Shri S.P. Mallick, District Magistrate, Jalpaiguri. By a further order No. 16A P.D.A. of 1967 bearing the same date, the Petitioner was directed by the said District Magistrate to be detained in the Jalpaiguri jail.

3. The order of detention, a copy whereof has been annexed to the petition, moved in this Court and marked as annex. ''A'', is in these terms:

Group ''A''

Government of West Bengal, Office of the District Magistrate, Jalpaiguri.

ORDER

Dated, 9-8-1967

No. 16 P.D.A.

Whereas I am satisfied with respect to the person known as Shri Kamakshya Mukherjee alias Haru, son of Shri Jitendra Nath Mukherjee of Ukilpara, P.S. Kotwali, District Jalpaiguri, that with a view to preventing him from acting in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of Public Order it is necessary so to do:

Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3(2)(a) of the Preventive Detention Act, 1950 (IV of 1950), I make this order directing that the said Shri Kamakshya Mukherjee alias Haru be detained.

Given under my hand and seal of office.

Stamp of the District

Magistrate, Jalpaiguri

Sd/- S.P. Mallick

Dist. Magistrate, Jalpaiguri

4. The grounds of detention which are in Bengali, have been annexed in annex. ''A2'' to the petition and the same will be considered in the proper context.

5. Mr. Manindra Mohan Sinha, Advocate (with Mr. Rabindra Narayan Chakraborty, Advocate), appearing on behalf of the detenue, has challenged the order of detention on a three-fold ground. The first contention of Mr. Sinha is that ground Nos. 1 to 4 and 6 of the grounds of detention are vague, preventing the applicant from making an effective representation to the authorities. His further submission in this connection is that there is no reasonable ''nexus'' between the purpose of the detention and the grounds before, which are mala fide and do not establish the allegation that the detenue was acting in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order. The next contention of Mr. Sinha is that ground No. 5 is clearly a non-existent one and contains apparently incorrect dates, namely July 2, 1967, stated to be the date of theft and July 11, 1967, stated to be the date of intimation given. The third and the last ground urged by Mr. Sinha is a material one, going to the very root of the order of detention and is that the order of detention having been passed while the Petitioner was already in jail custody, is clearly invalid and the consequent detention on the basis thereof is not sustainable in law.

6. Mr. Dilip Kumar Dutt, Advocate, appearing on behalf of the Respondents has urged that grounds Nos. 1 to 4 and 6 are neither vague nor non-specific as alleged or at all and there is a reasonable ''nexus'' between the grounds of detention and the purpose of the same; that ground No. 5 is not incorrect on account of the purported mistake regarding the two dates as mentioned therein and is not therefore a non-existent one, because it will appear from the original grounds of detention, as produced in this Court, that the said two dates have been correctly mentioned therein as July 17, 1967 and July 21, 1967, respectively; and that the order of detention having been made and served on the Petitioner on August 9, 1967, after the final report was filed and the order of discharge was passed on the same date by the learned Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Jalpaiguri, in the relative case, namely, Jalpaiguri Kotwali, P.S. Case No. 24 dated July 18, 1967, u/s 461/380 I.P.C., the impugned order of detention is clearly a valid one.

7. We will now proceed to examine the grounds of detention and the relative affidavits filed to find out their bearings on the respective contentions as catalogued above. The first contention of Mr. Sinha appears to be more technical than real. Ground No. 1 relates to the incident dated January 25, 1967, at 10-30 p.m. involving one Bura Raikut of Raikutpara. It has been challenged on behalf of the Petitioner in para. 7(i) of the petition as vague, there being no indication that any complaint was made either to the Police or in Court relating to the alleged incident. In para. 6(i) of the affidavit-in-opposition, affirmed by Shri Suhrid Prasanna Mallik, District Magistrate, Jalpaiguri, it has been denied that the said ground is vague and it has been averred that the injured Bura alias Santu Raikut lodged an information with the Police on January 26, 1967, at 10-55 a.m. being G.D. Entry No. 1243 dated January 26, 1967, of Kotwali Police Station, Jalpaiguri, specifically mentioning the detenue as one of the assailants. The second ground relates to an incident dated February 6, 1967, at 12-15 p.m. when the detenue and his companions being armed with deadly weapons assembled together for assaulting Shri Bura Raikut but fled away on the appearance of the Police. In para. 7(ii) of the petition the said ground has been challenged as vague, there being no details regarding the place where the purported offence was committed and there being no indication that any complaint was made either to the Police or in Court. The allegations were further challenged as false, imaginary and unreal. In para. 6(ii) of the affidavit-in-opposition the said allegations have been denied and it has been specifically mentioned that over the said incident an information was lodged with the Kotwali Police Station, being G.D. No. 308 dated February 6, 1967, by one Gobinda Roy by telephone. The third ground relates to a mutual fight between two groups on May 16, 1967, at 10 p.m. when the detenue and his companions being armed with deadly weapons sided with the Ukilpara group. This ground also was described in the petition as vague and lacking in details as to the place of occurrence. The District Magistrate in para. 6(iii) of his affidavit-in-opposition has averred that in connection with the said incident a telephonic message was sent to the Kotwali Police Station and G.D. Entry No. 985 dated May 16, 1967, was recorded at 7-45 p.m., whereupon the Police rushed to the spot and found that the detenue was one of the miscreants and that an information was thereafter lodged, being G.D. Entry No. 994 dated May 16, 1967, at 22-30 hrs. The fourth ground brings to light an incident dated June 8, 1967, at night when some iron beams were stolen from the compounds of the Sonaulla High School. A case was started over the same u/s 379 I.P.C. against the detenue and his associates for having committed the said theft, but during the enquiry, due to intimidation by the detenue and his associates, the witnesses were frightened and ultimately the Petitioner could not be sent up for trial. This ground was also described to be vague by the Petitioner in para. 7(iv) of the petition inasmuch as no names of the witnesses so threatened or the time and place of the purported intimidation could be given therein. The District Magistrate in para. 6(iv) of the affidavit-in-opposition has stated that the detenue was not named in the F.I.R., but in course of the investigation in Kotwali P.S. Case No. 23 dated June 8, u/s 379 I.P.C. and from the statements recorded in course thereof by the investigating officer, the name of the detenue did transpire as one of the culprits having committed the theft. It was further averred therein that the Petitioner had intimidated some of the material witnesses who wanted to depose against him in the afternoon of June 8, 1967, and their names are Mahabir Jha and Amir Misra, chowkidars of the Sonaulla High School. The case ultimately ended in ''final report true'' and the same was accepted as such by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Jalpaiguri, and it was clearly mentioned in the said final report that the detenue was one of the suspects. Ground No. 6 relates to an incident dated July 27, 1967, when the brother of the detenue, namely Bishu Mukherjee, struck two of the residents of the town with knife and injured them seriously. In the relative case started over that incident u/s 307/324 I.P.C., being case No. 32 dated July 28, 1967, of the Kotwali Police Station, the detenue intimidated two witnesses on July 29, 1967, and the said persons became nervous and were reluctant to give evidence. The said ground further related to another incident of theft in the night of the same date when a theft was committed in the ration shop of one Anil Bose in Ukilpara. During the investigation of the case started over the said incident, it transpired that the detenue, his brother and some others were involved in the said offence and that witnesses had actually seen the stolen articles being taken away in a car, W.G.V. 1619, being driven by the detenue''s brother Sambhu Mukherjee. Due to intimidation of the said witnesses on July 29, 1967, they got frightened and as such the said case ultimately could not be sent up for trial. This ground was also challenged as vague and improper in para. 7(vi) of the petition because the names of the witnesses or the place where the witnesses were intimidated were not given. The allegation of theft at ration shop was denied and it was slated that the name of the detenue was not mentioned in the F.I.R., while the names of the witnesses to the occurrence have also not been given. In para. 6(vi) of the affidavit-in-opposition it was averred that from the case diary of case No. 32 dated July 28, 1967, u/s 324/307 I.P.C. and the history sheets, it appears that the detenue had actually threatened the witnesses with dire consequences if they deposed against his brother who was an accused in the said case. It was further stated that Makhan Ghosh, Abhoy Dam, Dulu Nag and others, who were the witnesses to the occurrence of the case under reference, were in fact threatened on July 28 and 29, 1967, at or near the place of their respective residences at Naksalbari between 08-45 hrs. to 20-30 hrs. and 19-00 hrs. to 22-00 hrs. respectively. So far as the theft in the ration shop is concerned, it was stated in the said affidavit-in-opposition that in course of the investigation of the Kotwali P.S. case No. 33 dated July 28, 1967, u/s 461/380 I.P.C., the name of the detenue transpired and many persons saw him moving suspiciously at the place of occurrence and on the night in question witnesses Anil Chandra Bhaumik, Bikash Chakvaborty, Nripendra Chandra Guha had actually seen the detenue committing the alleged theft, but being terrorised they did not depose and as such the case ended in ''final report true''. The detenue was, however, named as one of the suspects in the said final report. It would appear, therefore, that there is a reasonable ''nexus'' between the purpose of detention and the grounds of detention which are not mala fide as alleged or at all. The materials on record as traversed above make out the allegation that the detenue was acting in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.

8. We will now consider if the grounds are in any way vague. Mr. Sinha has argued in this context that the detention of a person without a trial is a serious encroachment on his personal freedom and, therefore, each of the grounds is to be carefully sifted or there must be a strict compliance with the letter of the rule as the case may be. This is undoubtedly so. We may refer in this connection to the case of Dr. Ram Krishan Bhardwaj Vs. The State of Delhi and Others, . Their Lordships have observed at p. 320 of the said judgment that

preventive detention is a serious invasion of personal liberty and such meagre safeguards as the Constitution has provided against the improper exercise of the power must be jealously watched and enforced by the Court. We are of opinion that this constitutional requirement must be satisfied with respect to each of the grounds communicated to the person detained subject, of course, to a claim of privilege under Clause (6) of Article 22.

Therefore, it is clear that if this be not done, the Petitioner''s detention cannot be held to be in accordance with the procedure established by law within the meaning of Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Their Lordships of the Supreme Court have again observed in the case of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Vs. State of Bihar and Others, that

If a man can be deprived of his liberty under a rule by the simple process of the making of a certain order, he can only be so deprived if the order is in terms of the rule. Strict compliance with the letter of the rule is the essence of the matter. We arc dealing with a statute which drastically interferes with the personal liberty of people, we are dealing with an order behind the face of which a Court is prevented from going.... But it would be legitimate to require in such cases strict observance of the rules. If there is any doubt, whether the rules have been strictly observed, that doubt must be resolved in favour of the detenue.

These are, therefore, the principles which are to be borne in mind as we approach the question for a proper determination thereof. Now, what is vagueness? The expression ''vague'' in relation to statements has been defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, inter alia, as ''couched in general or indefinite terms'' or ''not precisely expressed''. It is indeed a relative term and a mixed concept, partly objective and partly subjective. The saying that ''language has been given to us to conceal our thoughts and not to express them'' may be good as an epigram but bad in relation to grounds of detention served on the detenue. We may again, for example, talk much but say little. This will not also do. For determining vagueness each case must ultimately depend on its own facts. Subject to that, the proper yard-stick, according to us, to find out vagueness is whether the said grounds as served on the detenue enable him to make an effective representation to the authority concerned. Anything short of that will be long off the mark and prejudice the detenue. In the case of Durgadas v. Rex AIR 1949 All. 148 (F.B.) by C.J. Malik, Mr. Justice Raghubir Dayal and Mr. Justice Wanchoo (as his Lordship then was),--C.J. Malik delivering the judgment observed at p. 153 that--

The grounds and particulars must not be vague, indefinite or incomplete and must convey sufficient information to the detenue to enable him to make a representation that the detaining authority was wrong in its belief that his detention was necessary in the interest of public safety, etc.

C.J. Kania who delivered the majority judgment in the case of The State of Bombay Vs. Atma Ram Sridhar Vaidya, observed as follows:

What is meant by vague? Vague can be considered as the antonym of ''definite''. If the ground which is supplied is incapable of being understood or defined with sufficient certainty it can be called vague. It must van-according to the circumstances of each ease.

In the case of Dr. Ram Krishna Bhardwaj v. The State of Delhi Supra p. 319 their Lordships considered the observations made in The State of Bombay Vs. Atma Ram Sridhar Vaidya, and held that--

On this interpretation of Article 22(5) two questions arise for consideration; first, whether the ground mentioned in sub-para (e) is so vague as to render it difficult, if not impossible, for the Petitioner to make an adequate representation to the appropriate authorities, and second, if it is vague, whether one vague ground among others which are clear and definite, would infringe the constitutional safeguard provided in Article 22(5).

The point for consideration, therefore, is whether there is any such ground, in the ground of detention of this case as stated and discussed above, which can be called vague as alleged or at all. Having examined the said grounds, we are afraid that we are unable to agree with the contention of Mr. Sinha about the purported vagueness of the grounds served. In our view the sine quo non of a ground which is not vague or indefinite is not a mechanical cataloguing of all the details. In the case of Thakur Prasad Bania and Others Vs. The State of Bihar, . Mr. Justice Jagannadhadas considered the principles laid down in Dr. Ram Krishna Bhardwaj''s case Supra and observed that--

The obligation of the Government to furnish grounds which are not vague cannot be taken to mean that they must furnish every meticulous detail.

In view of the principles laid down in the above mentioned cases, there appears to be no vagueness about the meaning of the expression ''vague''. We are satisfied from the grounds of detention in this case that the detenue could have no possible grievance against the order of detention because of the vagueness of any one of such grounds, and the first contention of Mr. Sinha therefore fails.

9. We will now consider the next contention of Mr. Sinha as to the purported incorrectness of ground No. 5 rendering it thereby to be a non-existent one. Mr. Sinha has contended that the date of theft as mentioned in the said ground, namely, July 2, 1967, and the date of intimation as given therein being July 11, 1967, are clearly incorrect and that the names of the witnesses threatened have not also been given and the detenue was not also arrested between the said dates. In para. 6(v) of the affidavit-in-opposition, the District Magistrate, Jalpaiguri, has averred that the occurrence took place on the night of July 17, 1967, and not on July 2, 1967, as alleged and that the detenue had actually intimated the witnesses Ram Ratan Mahato, Khagendra Chakraborty, Dhirendranath Dey, Sankardas Jadav and others on July 21, 1967. It was further stated therein that because of the intimidation the witnesses were not willing to depose against the detenue and the case had to end in final report, which however contains the name of the detenue as one of the suspects. In support of his contention Mr. Sinha placed before the Court the copy of the grounds of detention as served on his client, wherein the said two dates of theft and of intimidation undoubtedly appear to be somewhat illegible. Mr. Dilip Kumar Dutt, Advocate, appearing on behalf of the Respondent has however produced the original grounds of detention before us, and having gone through the same we find that the said two dates have been clearly mentioned as July 17, 1967 and July 21, 1967, respectively. It cannot, therefore, be held that the said ground is incorrect and non-existent vitiating the detention thereby. The satisfaction of the appropriate authority has been on the basis of these materials, and it must be remembered that the sufficiency of the grounds in the sense whether they could give satisfaction to the authority is not a matter for examination by the Courts. As was observed by their Lordships of the Supreme Court in the case of Ram Manohar Lohia v. The State of Bihar Supra, pp. 745-746 that--

Courts are only entitled to look at the face of the order.... The satisfaction of the Government which justifies an order under the rule is a subjective satisfaction. A Court cannot enquire whether grounds existed which would have created that satisfaction on which alone the order could have been made in the mind of a reasonable person.

We, therefore, hold that the said ground is neither incorrect nor nonexistent and, accordingly, the second contention of Mr. Sinha also fails.

10. The last contention of Mr. Sinha is of some importance and is a point which has compelled consideration in various cases. Mr. Sinha has urged that the order of detention has been passed while the detenue was in jail custody and as such the said order is per se illegal and invalid and the consequent detention is bad. We must point out, however, that there cannot be any such absolute or general proposition of law and consequently an absolute and unqualified answer thereto. The point involved has got different facets and has to be considered against the back drop of the facts and circumstances of each case. The question in fact resolves itself into three different aspects. In the first instance, we will have to consider the case where the Petitioner was already detained in jail custody as a detenue when the impugned order of detention was served on him. In the second place, we will have to consider the case where the Petitioner was being detained as art under-trial or as a convicted person when the order of detention was made. Thirdly, we will have to consider a case where the Petitioner was being detained as an under-trial or a convicted person when the order of detention was served on him.

11. To ascertain the correct position with regard to cases where the Petitioner was already detained in jail custody as a detenue when the subsequent order of detention was served under the Preventive Detention Act, 1950, or under the Defence of India Act and Rules, 1962, it would be pertinent to consider the relevant decisions on the point. We may refer in this connection to the case of AIR 1945 18 (Federal Court) where the original order of detention dated March 19, 1942, passed under the Defence of India Rules was cancelled by a fresh order of detention dated July 3, 1944. Chief Justice Spens sitting with Mr. Varadachariar and Mr. Justice Zafarulla Khan, held therein that this

will not justify any inference of fraud or abuse of power.

and observed at p. 20 that--

But where the earlier order of detention is held defective merely on formal grounds there is nothing to preclude a proper order of detention being based on the pre-existing grounds themselves, especially in cases in which the sufficiency of the grounds is not examinable by the Courts. There is equally no force in the contention that no order of detention can be passed against a person who is already under detention.

In a subsequent case, namely Godavari Shamrao Parulekar Vs. State of Maharashtra and Others, wherein the Appellants were first detained on November 7, 1962, under Preventive Detention Act, 1950, but that order was revoked by the Government and after the Appellants were released and re-arrested under Rule 30 of the Defence of India Rules, the orders of detention were served on the Appellants in jail. Their Lordships held that the orders of detention so passed by the State Government and their service on the Appellants in jail were perfectly valid and did not make the detention illegal. The Appellants, according to their Lordships,

were detained not as under-trials or as convicted persons but as detenues and hence the case of Rameswar Shaw and Makhan Singh Tarsikka did not apply in the present case.

The next case is the recent decision of the Supreme Court, which is not yet reported, in Avtar Singh v. The State of Jammu and Kashmir judgment dated June 9, 1967 in Writ Petition Nos. 68, 70, 79, 89 and 92 of 1967 (not yet reported). Their Lordships while considering therein the question raised as to whether the order of detention was illegal inasmuch as is was served on the detenues while they were in jail, approved of the principles laid down in the case of Godavari Shamrao Parulekar Vs. State of Maharashtra and Others, but held that, in the special circumstances of the case before their Lordships, it was distinguishable from the two cases, viz., those of Rameswar Shaw Infra and Makhan Singh Tarsikka Infra and that--

on 12th May a fresh order of detention on identical grounds, on which the earlier order dated 11th March, 1966, had been made, could not be passed justifiably, because that earlier order dated 11th March. 1966, was a valid order and had already taken full effect.

In the case of A.K. Gopalan v. The Government of India AIR 1966 (2) S.C. 816 their Lordships referred to the case of Godavari Shamrao Parulekar Vs. State of Maharashtra and Others, and held that in that case

it was not necessary to carry out the empty formality of release from jail under the order of cancellation and then to arrest the persons released immediately they came out of jail and to serve on them the new order of detention dated March 4, 1965.

In another recent decision of the Supreme Court in Jagdev Singh and Sardar Singh v. State of Jammu and Kashmir (in both the petitions) judgment dated Aug. 14, 1967 in Writ Petitions Nos. 69 & 71 of 1967 (not yet reported), their Lordships observed that--

We are therefore of opinion that the view taken in Avtar Singh''s case judgment dated June 9, 1967 in Writ Petition Nos. 68, 70, 79, 89 and 92 of 1967 (not yet reported) in so far as it says that no fresh order can be passed even to correct any defect in an order continuing detention under Rule 30-A(9) is not correct.

and approving of the decisions in Ujagar Singh Vs. The State of The Punjab, and in Godavari Shamrao Parulekar v. State of Maharastra Supra ultimately held that--

these cases certainly show that fresh older of detention can be passed on the same facts if for any reason, the earlier order of detention has to be revoked by the Government.

Accordingly, we hold that where the Petitioner was detained not as an under-trial or a convicted person but as a detenue, the service of a fresh order of detention on him is not per se illegal.

12. We will now consider the second aspect of the question, viz., the cases where the Petitioner is detained as an under-trial or convicted person, when the older of detention was made under the Preventive Detention Act, 1950, or the Defence of India Act and Rules, 1962, the principles laid down in the cases on this point are cogent and clear. In the case of Maledath Bharathan Malyali Vs. The Commissioner of Police, Chief justice Chagla, who delivered the judgment, observed that--

But they cannot pursue both the rights at the same time, because on the facts of this case, it is apparent that these two rights are inconsistent and cannot be exercised at the same time, they cannot detain the applicant under the Security Act and at the same time carry on the investigation without providing the applicant with the safeguards to which he is entitled under the law.... Therefore, in our opinion, when the detaining authority makes up his mind to detain a person who is alleged to have committed an offence then the detaining authority has made his choice and it would not be permissible to him to investigate the offence while still keeping the person under detention and not complying with the provisions of the law with regard to investigation.

The next decision on the point is by Chief Justice Thadani and Mr. Justice Ram Labhya of the Assam High Court in the case of Labaram Deka Barua v. The State (1950) 55 C.W.N. 13 (15) wherein Mr. Justice Ram Labhya has observed that--

A man can act in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of Public order it he is at large. When a person is already in detention, it is obvious that another order of detention is not necessary. He is not in a position to act in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of Public order. The detaining authority, in these circumstances, cannot feel satisfied that an order of detention is necessary for any of the purposes mentioned in Section 3 of the Act.

Chief Justice Thadani observed in the same case at p. 17 that

it is not desirable that the detention of a person under a Detention Act should run concurrently with his detention in pursuance of his being accused of a non-bailable offence.

In the case of Mohd. Ishaq Ilmi Vs. The U.P. State and Others, their Lordships found that--

If the person is convicted and sentenced for alleged offences under the ordinary law the necessity for an order of detention under the Preventive Detention Act, ceases to exist, at least until he has served out his sentence. Even an order of detention passed shortly before the expiry of the sentence and in anticipation of the release would not, in our opinion, necessarily be wrong. But to order detention under the Preventive Detention Act while the person is already under detention under the ordinary law awaiting his trial is, to say the least, ''undesirable'' even though it may not be wanting in good faith on the part of the detaining authorities.

The Supreme Court recently considered the said point in two decisions. In the case of Rameshwar Shaw Vs. District Magistrate, Burdwan and Another, their Lordships observed that--

As abstract proposition of law, there may not be any doubt that Section 3(1)(a) does not preclude the authority from passing an order of detention against a person whilst he is in detention or in jail, but the relevant facts in connection with the making of the order may differ and that may make a difference in the application of the principle that a detention order can be passed against a person in jail.... In dealing with this question again the considerations of proximity of time will not be irrelevant. On the other hand, if a person who is undergoing imprisonment, for a very short period, say, for a month or two or so, and it is known that he would soon be released from jail, it may be possible for the authority to consider the antecedent history of the said person and decide whether the detention of the said person would be necessary after he is released from jail, and if the authority is bona fide satisfied that such detention is necessary, he can make a valid order of detention a few days before the person is likely to be released.

In the subsequent case of Makhan Singh Tarsikka Vs. The State of Punjab, , Mr. Justice P.B. Gajendragadkar (as his Lordship then was), who delivered the judgment, observed as follows:

In fact, as we have already pointed out in the case of Rameshwar Shaw Vs. District Magistrate, Burdwan and Another, Habeas Corpus Petn. No. 145 of 1963 D/11, 9.63 AIR 1964 S.C. 354 as an abstract proposition of law, this Court has held that an order of detention car be validly made against a person in jail custody. Whether or not the said making of the order is valid in a particular case may have to be determined in the light of the relevant and material facts.... When a person is in jail custody and criminal proceedings are pending against him the appropriate authority may in a given case take the view that the criminal proceedings may end very soon and may terminate in his acquittal. In such case, it would be open to the appropriate authority to make an order of detention, if the requisite conditions of the Rule or the section are satisfied, and serve it on the person concerned if and after he is acquitted in the said criminal proceedings.

It would appear, therefore, that there is no cloud on the point, and even if there was any, the same has been lifted by the principles enunciated in the above mentioned decisions that when the Petitioner is being detained as an under-trial or a convicted person, the order of detention can be made.

13. We may now pass on to consider the third aspect of question, as to whether in a case when the Petitioner was already detained as an under-trial or as a convicted person, the subsequent order of detention can be served on him before he is released. In this connection, it would be pertinent to consider as to what is meant by the expression ''preventive''. The word ''preventive'' is used in contra-distinction to the word word ''punitive''. The expression ''preventive detention'', therefore, means that restraint whose object is to prevent probable, and in some cases possible, activity on the part of a person which is deemed prejudicial and which is apprehended from him on the ground of his past conduct. Mr. Justice Monohar Persad and Mr. Justice M.A. Ansari have observed in the case of M.A. Rahaman v. Hyderabad State AIR 1950 Hyd. 66 (67) that--

it is obvious that where such prejudicial conduct on the part of a person is impossible, e.g., when he is already in jail either undergoing a sentence of imprisonment passed by a Court of law or is awaiting, without being on bail, any investigation, enquiry or trial, the exercise of power under preventive detention would be meaningless and improper.

Therefore, so far as this aspect of the question is concerned we have no hesitation to hold, on the basis of all the decisions referred to above, that although in such cases an order of detention can be made, it cannot however be served on the detenue while he is still in jail custody and the said order, if so served, will be vitiated as the very purpose of the said detention would be frustrated thereby. The position, however, in the present case is entirely different and the principles laid down in the above mentioned cases would not apply to the facts of the present case in favour of the detenue. We may point out in this connection that Mr. Sinha had not taken this point in the body of the petition, although he had subsequently incorporated the same in the grounds, being ground No. (F). Accordingly, as was submitted by the learned Advocate appearing on behalf of the Respondents, it was not possible for the State to put any affidavit-in-opposition to the facts involved in the said issue. Mr. Sinha also in his fairness was conscious of this but submitted that detention without trial is a serious encroachment on the personal freedom on a person and as such it was just and fair that he should be allowed to argue the said point. We have allowed the said prayer of Mr. Sinha and have considered the said point in all its aspects ex debito justice Mr. Dilip Kumar Dutt, Advocate appearing on behalf of the Respondents, has placed before us the original records to show that in the relevant case in connection whereof the detenue was arrested and kept in jail custody, namely, the Jalpaiguri Kotwali P.S. case No. 24 dated July 18, 1967, u/s 461/380 I.P.C., a final report was in fact submitted by the Police on August 7, 1967, and an order was passed by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Jalpaiguri, on August 9, 1967, accepting the said final report and discharging the detenue, who was therefore no longer in jail custody. It was only thereafter that the present order of detention, a copy whereof has been annexed and marked as annex. ''A'' to the petition, was served on the Petitioner. It cannot, accordingly, be said that the impugned order of detention in this case was served on the Petitioner while in jail custody. The wind, therefore, is taken out of the sails of Mr. Sinha, and the principles laid down in the cases referred to above, with which we fully agree, do not enure to the benefit of the detenue in the facts and circumstances of the present case. Accordingly, the third and the last contention of Mr. Sinha also fails.

14. In the result, we do not find any reason to interfere with the impugned order of detention and the relative Rule is hereby discharged.

R.N. Dutt, J.

15. I agree.

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