Gujarat High Court
SCA/4918/2001 of IRFANKHAN FARUKBHAI NATI Vs DISTRICT MAGISTRATE OR HIS SUCCESSOR on 10 December 2001
HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD SPECIAL CIVIL APPLICATION No 4918 of 2001 For Approval and Signature: Hon'ble MR.JUSTICE R.P.DHOLAKIA ============================================================ 1. Whether Reporters of Local Papers may be allowed : NO to see the judgements? 2. To be referred to
IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
SPECIAL CIVIL APPLICATION No 4918 of 2001
For Approval and Signature:
Hon'ble MR.JUSTICE R.P.DHOLAKIA
============================================================ 1. Whether Reporters of Local Papers may be allowed : NO to see the judgements?
2. To be referred to the Reporter or not? : NO
3. Whether Their Lordships wish to see the fair copy : NO of the judgement? 4. Whether this case involves a substantial question : NO of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution of India, 1950 of any Order made thereunder? 5. Whether it is to be circulated to the Civil Judge? : NO
-------------------------------------------------------------- IRFANKHAN FARUKBHAI NATI
Versus
DISTRICT MAGISTRATE OR HIS SUCCESSOR
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1. Special Civil Application No. 4918 of 2001 MS KRISHNA U MISHRA for Petitioner No. 1 MRS HANSA PUNANI AGP OF Respondents -------------------------------------------------------------- CORAM : MR.JUSTICE R.P.DHOLAKIA
Date of decision: 10/12/2001
ORAL JUDGEMENT
By means of filing this petition, the petitioner has challenged the order of detention dated 25/11/2000
passed by the District Magistrate, Panchmahals at Godhara.
2. It is a settled principle of law that in order to bring a person within the expression "dangerous person" as defined in clause (c) of section 2 of the Gujarat Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act, 1985 (for short `the Act of 1985'), there should be positive materials to indicate that such person is habitual of committing or attempting to commit or abetting the commission of offences which are punishable under Chapter XVI or XVII of Chapter V of the Arms Act and that single or isolated act falling under the said Chapters cannot be characterized as a habitual acts as envisaged in section 2(c) of the PASA Act. Further, besides a person being a dangerous person, his activities should also fall within the ambit of expression `public order'. A distinction has to be drawn between the `law and order' and `maintenance of public order'. A reference may be made of M.J.Shaikh V. M.M. Mehta, Commissioner of Police & Ors., reported in 1995 (2) GLR 1268.
3. I have heard learned advocate for the petitioner and also perused the material on record. According to learned advocate for the petitioner, the detaining authority has passed the detention order relying upon the seven criminal cases registered against the detenu under the Indian Penal Code. The last offence is registered on 5/8/2000 before the Godhara Town Police Station vide CR No.196 of 2000 for the offence punishable under Sections 379 of Indian Penal Code. The detaining authority has passed the detention order on 25/11/2000. Thus, there is a delay of more than three months in passing the detention order. No affidavit explaining the delay has been filed either by the detaining authority or by the State. Learned AGP has fairly admitted the same. The learned advocate for the petitioner has relied upon a judgment delivered by this Court reported in 1997(1) G.L.H. page 381 in the case of Elesh Nandubhai Patel Vs. Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad City and Ors. more particularly at para 21 which reads as under:
"There appears to be some substance in the contention of the petitioner that these two unregistered cases have been referred only with a view to cover up the gap or to give life to a stale case. This unexplained delay makes a ground of detention not proximate, vitiating the order of detention itself. If I am to buttress my findings, I would say the reference may be
Arguments
made to the decision of the Supreme Court in Anand Prakash V. State of U.P. reported in AIR
1990 SC 516 and Pradeep Nilkanth Vs. S.
Ramamurthy reported in 1993(2) Suppl. SCC 61."
against the detenu on 5/8/2000 and the order of detention has been passed on 25/11/2000 and hence, there is a delay of more than three months in passing the order of detention. No affidavit has been filed either by the detaining authority or by the State explaining satisfactorily the delay caused in passing the order of detention. Therefore, in view of the above judgment relied upon by the learned advocate for the petitioner, the order of detention is illegal and the same cannot be sustained. Learned advocate for the petitioner does not press any other points.
5. In view of the above, the petition is allowed. The order of detention dated 25/11/2000 passed against the detenu is hereby quashed and set aside. The detenu namely Irfanbhai Farukbhai Nati, Musalman is ordered to be set at liberty forthwith, if not required in any other case. Rule is made absolute accordingly with no order as to costs. D.S. Permitted.
�����(R.P.DHOLAKIA,J.)
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