TION Criminal Appeal No 624 of 1989
From the Judgment and Order dated 317
1989 of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Crl
WA No 2365 of 1988
K Parasaran Attorney General and RS Suri for the Appellant
Kapil Sibal HS Randhwa and Ms Kamini Jaiswal for the Respondents
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by KN SAIKIA J
Special leave granted
Heard learned counsel for the parties
The State s appeal is from the Judgment of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana dated 3171989 passed in Crimi nal Writ Petition No 2365 of 1988 quashing the detention order of Sukhjinder Singh father of the respondent under the 
Sri Sukhjinder Singh has been under detention pursuant to the Government of Punjab Department of Home Affairs and Justice s Order dated 2851988 passed in exercise of the powers conferred by 424 sub section 2 of section 3 of the No 65 of 1980 hereinafter referred to as the Act  read with section 14A as inserted by National Security Amendment Act 1987 with a view to preventing him from indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the State and maintenance of public order and interference with efforts of Government in coping with the terrorist with disruptive activities
He was furnished with the grounds of detention contained in 9 paragraphs thereof and saying that on account of the said activities the President of India was satisfied that he should be detained
As no arguments have been based on the grounds themselves we have not extracted them
The detenu was also informed that he had a right to make representation in writing against the deten tion order and if he wished to make any such representation he should address it to the State Government through the Superintendent of Jail and that as soon as possible his case would be submitted to the Advisory Board within the stipulated period from the date of his detention and if he wished to make a representation to the Central Government he should address it to the Secretary Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs Department of Internal Security North Block New Delhi through the Superintendent of Jail where he was detained
It further stated that he had also a right to appear before the Advisory Board for representing his case and if he wished to do so he should inform the State Government through the Superintendent of Jail in which he was detained
It appears that the detenu s son Sukhpal Singh filed Criminal Writ Petition No 1393 of 1988 in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana praying inter alia for a writ of habeas corpus quashing of the detention order for production of the detenu in court on the date of hearing for directing the respondents to arrange the presence of the detenu at Chandigarh before the Advisory Board and for directing the respondents to make arrangements and pay for the expenses required to be incurred for arranging the presence of dete nu s witnesses to be produced before the Board at Agartala and also of the relatives and the counsel of the detenu so as to effectively assist him in regard to presenting his case before the Advisory Board
The High Court by order dated 2791988 dismissed the Criminal Writ Petition but ordered that the petitioner would approach the Advisory Board stationed at Chandigarh with the request for allowing the detenu to produce evidence before it at Agartala and in case his prayer was granted by the Board the expenses for taking those witnesses to Agar tala would be borne by the respondentState 425 Sukhpal Singh later moved Criminal Writ Petition No 2365 of 1988 in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana for quashing the detention order contending inter alia that the order of detention was passed on 2851988 in a cursory and routine manner without application of mind much less with subjective satisfaction inasmuch as no case at all was registered against the detenu for his alleged public utter ences as stated in the grounds of detention and therefore the detention order was liable to be quashed that consider ation of the detenu s representation filed with the State Government on September 1 1988 was inordinately delayed for two months till October 31 1988 and even thereafter the State took 8 long days to convey its rejection and the representation addressed to the detaining authority had neither been considered nor disposed of and that detention was confirmed without affording the detenu any chance of appearing and producing witnesses before the Advisory Board in terms of the High Court s order dated 2791988 in Crimi nal Writ Petition No 1393 of 1988
The High Court upheld the above contentions of the petitioner namely lack of subjective satisfaction delay in considering representation and the denial of opportunity to appear before the Advisory Board and accordingly quashed the order of detention and ordered the detenu to be set at liberty forthwith unless required in connection with any other case
The learned Attorney General of India for the appellant assailing the findings of the High Court submits that the High Court s finding that there was no subjective satisfac tion of the detaining authority simply because no criminal case was registered against the detenu for his public speeches is erroneous both in law and facts
The allegations were that during the period from November 19 1987 to May 11 1987 the detenu made 9 provocative speeches as stated in the grounds of detention inciting communal hatred and vio lence between Hindus and Sikhs inciting Sikhs to armed violence against the Government established by law both in the State and in the Centre and making the offer of monetary and other assistance to the terrorists
When the detention order was passed the detenu was already detained in Burail Jail and the detention order itself said that he was already in custody and was taking steps to get himself released and there was every likelihood of his being released from custo dy and that in the event of his release he was likely to resume such prejudicial activities in future and there was thus compelling necessity to pass the order
He submits that the subjective satisfaction of the detaining authority was based on pertinent materials and it had in mind the question whether the pro 426 secution of the detenu would be possible and sufficient
Mr Kapil Sibal learned counsel for the respondents supporting the finding of the High Court reiterates that the fact that no criminal case was registered during the period of giving the alleged speeches clearly showed that there was non application of mind preceding the detention order
We find force in the submission of the learned Attorney General
The detention order itself said that the detenu was already in custody and was likely to be released wherefore it was necessary to order for his preventive detention
It is not denied that the above relevant materials were placed before the detaining authority
The act nowhere provides that the detaining authority cannot resort to preventive detention without first criminally prosecuting the detenu
A clear distinction has to be drawn between preventive detention in which anticipatory and precautionary action is taken to prevent the recurrence of apprehended events and punitive detention under which the action is taken after the event has already happened
It is true that the ordinary criminal process of trial is not to be circumvented and shortcircuit ed by apparently handy and easier resort to preventive detention
But the possibility of launching a criminal prosecution cannot be said to be an absolute bar to an order of preventive detention
Nor would it be correct to say that if such possibility is not present in the mind of the de taining authority the order of detention would necessarily be bad
The failure of the detaining authority to consider the desirability of launching a criminal prosecution before ordering preventive detention may in the circumstances of a case lead to the conclusion that the detaining authority had not applied its mind to the important question as to whether it was necessary to make an order of preventive detention but such is not the case here
In this regard one has to bear in mind the relevant facts and circumstances of a case including the time and place concerned
In this view we find support from the decision in Fazal Ghosi vs State of UP  Ors  AIR 1987 SC 1877  wherein it was pointed out that the Act provided for preventive detention which was intended where it was apprehended that the persons might act prejudicially to one or more considerations speci fied in the statute and the preventive detention was not intended as a punitive measure for curtailment of liberty by way of punishment for the offence already committed
Section 3 read with Section 14A of the Act clearly indicated that the power of detention thereunder could be exercised only with a view to preventing a person from acting in a manner which might prejudice any of the situations set forth in the Section
To apply what was said in Rex vs Halliday Ex parte Zadig   one of the most obvious means of taking precautions against dangers such as are enumerated is to 427 impose some restriction on the freedom of movement of per sons whom there may be any reason to suspect of being dis posed to commit what is enumerated in section 3 of the Act
No crime is charged
The question is whether a particular person is disposed to commit the prejudicial acts
The duty of deciding this question is thrown upon the State
The justification is suspicion or reasonable probability and not criminal charge which can only be warranted by legal evi dence
It is true that in a case in which the liberty of such person is concerned we cannot go beyond natural con struction of the statute
It is the duty of this Court to see that a law depriving the person of his liberty without the safeguards available even to a person charged with crime is strictly complied with
We have however to remember that individual liberty is allowed to be curtailed by an anticipatory action only in interest of what is enumerated in the statute
In actual practice the grounds supplied operate as an objective test for determining the question whether a nexus reasonably exists between grounds of detention and the detention order or whether some infirmities had crept in
A conjoined reading of the detention order and the grounds of detention is therefore necessary
It is as was heldin Ujagar Singh vs State of Punjab AIR  1952 SC 350  largely from prior events showing tendencies or inclinations of a man that inference can be drawn whether he is likely in future to act in a prejudicial manner
But such conduct should be reasonably proximate and should have a rational connection with the conclusion that the detention of person is necessary
The question of relation of the activities to the detention order must be carefully consid ered
Though the possibility of prosecution being launched is not an irrelevant consideration failure to consider such possibility would not vitiate the detention order
In Harad han Saha vs The State of West Bengal  Ors
  the Court did not lay down that possibility of a prose cution being launched was an irrelevant consideration not to be borne in mind by detaining authority but it laid down that the mere circumstance that a detenu was liable to be prosecuted would not by itself be a bar to the making of an order of preventive detention
It did not follow therefore that failure to consider the possibility of criminal prose cution being launched could ever lead to the conclusion that a detaining authority never applied its mind and the order of detention was therefore bad
Is it correct to say that if such possibility was not present in the mind of the detain ing authority the order of the detention is necessarily bad Unless it clearly appears that preventive detention is being resorted to as the line of least resistance where criminal prosecution would be the usual course no fault can be found with it
428 What is to be seen is whether the detaining authority has applied its mind or not to the question whether it was necessary to make preventive detention
In the instant case there is evidence of application of mind
The proximity between the date of commission of an offence and of deten tion order cannot also be said to be absent in this case
As we have already seen the power of preventive detention is qualitatively different from punitive detention
The power of preventive detention is precautionary power exercised reasonably in anticipation and may or may not relate to an offence
It cannot be considered to be a parallel proceed ing
The anticipated behaviour of a person based on his past conduct in the light of surrounding circumstances may pro vide sufficient ground for detention
It cannot be said that the satisfaction of the detaining authority on the basis of his past activities that if the detenu were to be left at large he would indulge in similar activities in future and thus act in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order etc
shall not be based on adequate materials
Public safety ordinarily means security of the public or their freedom from danger
Public order also implied public peace and tranquility
There is no escape from the conclu sion that the terrorists and disruptive activities disrupt public peace and tranquility and affect the freedom of the public from danger to life and property
Disruption means the act of bursting and tearing as under
Disruptive means producing or resulting from or attending disruption
Terror ism means the act of terrorising unlawful acts of violence committed in an organised attempt to over throw a Government or like purposes
Terrorist means one who adopts or supports the policy of terrorism
The terrorist and disruptive activ ities are naturally disruptive of public peace tranquillity and development
In Hemlata Kantilal Shah vs State of Maha rashtra and Ors
   it was held that the prosecution or the absence of it is not an absolute bar to an order of preventive detention but the authority is to satisfy the court that it had in mind the question of possibility of criminal prosecution while form ing the subjective satisfaction by the detaining authority
It may be based on inference from the past conduct and antecedent history of the detenu
The High Court under article 226 and Supreme Court under article 32 or 136 do not sit in appeal from the order of preventive detention
But the Court is only to see whether the formality as enjoined by article 225 had been complied with by the detaining authority and if so done the Court cannot examine the materials before it and find that the detaining authority should not have been satisfied on the materials before it and detain the detenu
In other words the Court cannot question the sufficiency of the grounds of detention for the subjective satisfaction of the authority as pointed out in Ashok Kumar vs Delhi Admin istration 429  Ors
  Those who are responsible for the national security or for the maintenance of public order must be the judges of what the national security or public order requires
Preventive detention is devised to afford protection to society
The object is not to punish a man for having done something but to intercept before he does it and to prevent him from doing
The justi fication for such detention is suspicion or reasonable probability and not criminal conviction which can only be warranted by legal evidence
Thus any preventive measures even if they involve some restraint or hardship upon indi viduals do not partake in any way of the nature of punish ment but are taken by way of prosecution to prevent mis chief to the State
There is no reason why executive cannot take recourse to its powers of preventive detention in those cases where the executive is genuinely satisfied that no prosecution can possibly succeed against the detenu because he had influence over witnesses and against him no one is prepared to depose
However pusillanimity on the part of the executive has to be deprecated and pusillanimous orders avoided
It is submitted that in the instance case there were sufficient materials to show that the detenu would act in the future to the prejudice of the maintenance of public order security of the State and the Government s effort to curb terrorism
From the nature and contents of his speeches stated in the grounds of detention there was sufficient justification for the inference that he would repeat such speeches if not preventively detained
Again when grievous crime against the community was committed it would surely be subject to the penal law and stringent sentences but at the same time it could be considered unsafe to allow him the opportunities to repeat prejudicial acts during the period the penal process was likely to take
The learned Attorney General refers us to Giani Bakshish Singh vs Governmentof India  Ors   Smt
Hemlata vs State of Maharashtra  Ors Supra and Raj Kumar Singh vs State of Bihar  Ors  4 SCC 407 submitting that the possibility of criminal prosecution was no bar to order any preventive detention and that the court should not substitute its decision or opinion in place of decision of the authority concerned on the question of necessity of preventive deten tion
Possibility of a prosecution or the absence of it is not absolute bar to an order of preventive detention the authority may prosecute the offender for an isolated act or acts of an offence for violation of any criminal law but if it is satisfied that the offender has a tendency to go on violating such laws then there will be no bar for the State to detain him under a Preventive 430 Detention Act in order to disable him to repeat such of fences
The detaining authority is not the sole judge of what national security or public order requires
But neither is the court the sole judge of the position
When power is given to an authority to act on certain facts and if that authority acts on relevant facts and arrives at a decision which cannot be described as either irrational or unreasona ble in the sense that no person instructed in law could have reasonably taken that view then the order is not bad and the Court cannot substitute its decision or opinion in place of the decision of the authority concerned on the necessity of passing the order
 Following Hemlata supra it could be said that in this case of prosecution it may not be possible to bring home the offender to book as witnesses may not come forward to depose against him out of fear or it may not be possible to col lect all necessary evidence without unreasonable delay and expenditure to prove the guilt of the offender beyond rea sonable doubt
Considering the relevant facts and circumstances includ ing the time and place the contents of the detention order and the allegations in the grounds of detention in this case we are of the view that nonregistration of any crimi nal case could not be said to have shown non application of mind or absence of subjective satisfaction on the part of the detaining authority
Assailing the finding as to delay in disposing of the detenu s representation the learned Attorney General sub mits that on 191988 the detenu filed representation against his detention addressed to the President of India through the Home Secretary Government of Punjab and the Superintendent of District Jail Agartala Tripura
The State Government was not aware of pendency of any such representation with it
On 1391988 the Central Government issued a teleprinter message which was duly received on 1491988 in which the Central Government wanted to know the date on which the grounds of detention were supplied to the detenu and also sought parawise comments on the representa tion of the detenu
However the Central Government did not send any copy of the representation to the State Government
Even so it directed the police vide letter dated 1491988 to supply the required information to the Central Government
It was intimated to the Central Government that parawise comments on the representation could not be offered as copy of the representation was not available with the State of Punjab
The Central Government vide teleprinter message dated 6101988 which was 431 received on 10101988 intimated that the photostat copy of the representation had been sent along with the post copy of the teleprinter message
The representation was duly re ceived on 19101988 by the State of Punjab and it was examined at various levels on 19101988 20101988 was a holiday 21101988 22101988 and 23101988 were holi days 24101988 25101988 was again a holiday 26101988 27101988 and 28101988
The representation was duly put up before the competent authority who was pleased to reject the representation after due deliberation and consideration on 28101988
Thus according to the learned Attorney General the State of Punjab from the time of receiving the representation and till the time of its final disposal did not take more than 9 days obviously excluding the aforesaid 14 holidays
According to him this was a miraculous job done in disposing of the detenu s representation and the intimation of the rejection was conveyed to the Superintendent of Jail Agartala vide letter dated 31101988 who informed the detenu on 8111988
Thus the detenu s representation dated 191988 was disposed of by the State Government on 28101988 and the detenu was informed only on 8111988 ie after more than two months
It was pointed out by Mr RS Suri learned counsel for the appellant that excepting the photostat copy received from the Central Government no separate representation was at all received by the State Government of Punjab
The Central GOvernment also rejected the representation before them after due consideration on December 21 1988 and duly in formed the detenu
Mr Kapil Sibal the learned counsel for the detenu states that two copies one meant for the Central Government and the other meant for the State Government were sent by the detenu on the same date
The learned Attorney General contends that the delay was caused by the representation having been addressed to the President of India wherefore the copy went to the Central Government
Mr Sibal however assets that the detention order having said whereas the President of India is satisfied the detenu was required under law to address the representation to the President of India and in view of the fact that it was routed through the Superintendent of the District Jail Agartala Tripura and the Home Secretary Government of Punjab there was no reason why it should not have been delivered to the State Government of Punjab
The learned Attorney General points out that the detention order itself having said that if the detenu wished to make such representation he should address it to the State Government through the Superintendent of Jail as soon as possible and the grounds of detention having also similarly stated that the 432 detenu should address the representation to the State Gov ernment through the Superintendent of Jail the delay caused up till the receipt of the photostat copy from the Central Government must be attributed to the detenu himself and the State Government could not be blamed and the detention order could not be said to have been vitiated by any latches negligence or delay in disposing of the representation under the facts and circumstances stated above
The State of Punjab having been under the President s rule at the relevant time and the detention order itself having stated that it was the satisfaction of the President in passing the detention order Mr Sibal points out that it could not be said to have been a fatal mistake in the repre sentation to have been addressed to the President of India Rashtrapati Bhawan New Delhi and the same being routed through the Superintendent of the District Jail Agartala TRIPURA and the Home Secretary of the State of Punjab there was no reason why the same should not have been re ceived by the State Government of Punjab
However it appears that the representation said to have been meant for the State Government was not received by the State Government at all
The detenu cannot be said to have deliberately caused the delay
Though we feel that in view of the clear instruc tions in the grounds of detention that he should address the representation to the State Government through the Superin tendent of the Jail where he was detained should have been followed
May be this was due to the fact that Punjab was under President s rule at the relevant time but Rashtrapati Bhawan New Delhi was not the proper destination of the representation to the State Government It is a settled law that in cases of preventive deten tion expeditious action is required on the part of the authorities in disposing of the detenu s representation
In Jayanarayan Sukul vs State of West Bengal  it was laid down that the consideration of the representa tion of the detenu by the appropriate authority was entirely independent of any action by the Advisory Board including the consideration of the representation by the Advisory Board
There should not be any delay in the matter of con sideration
It is true that no hard and fast rule can be laid down as to the measure of time taken by the appropriate authority for consideration but it has to be remembered that the Government has to be vigilant in the governance of the citizens
A citizen s right imposes correlative duty on the State
In Frances Coralie Mullin vs WC Khambra and Ors   it was reiterated that the detaining authority must consider the representation as soon as possi ble and this preferably must be before the 433 representation is forwarded to the Advisory Board before the Advisory Board makes its report and the consideration by the detaining authority of the representation must be entirely independent of the hearing by the Board or its report expedition being essential at every stage
The time impera tive cannot be absolute and the Court s observations are not to be so understood and there has to be lee way depending on the facts and circumstances of the case
However no allowance can be made for lethargic indifference or needless procrastination but allowance has to be made for necessary consultation where legal intricacies and factual ramifica tions are involved
The burden of explaining the departure from the time imperative is always on the detaining authori ty
The emphasis is on the constitutional right of a detenu to have his representation considered as expeditiously as possible and it will depend upon the facts and circumstances of each case whether or not the appropriate Government has disposed of the case as expeditiously as possible
1n FC Mullin s case the representation of the detenu made on December 22 1979 was not communicated to the Advisory Board as it ought to have been when the Board met on January 4 1980 and the detaining authority awaited the hearing before the Advisory Board and took a decision thereafter
Under the facts and circumstances of that case where the detenu re quested for copies of statements and documents collection of which took time it was held that if there appeared to be any delay it was not deemed due to any want of care but because the representation required a thorough examination in consultation with investigators of facts and advisors on law and as such though the Administrator considered the representation of the detenu after hearing by the Board the Administrator was not entirely influenced by the hearing before the Board and the application for habeas corpus was therefore dismissed
In State of Orissa and Anr
vs Manilal Singhania and Anr 2 SCC 808 it was held that the representation made by the detenu may be considered by the State Government as soon as possible ie with reasonable despatch and if that is not done it would have the effect of vitiating the order of detention but it is neither possible nor desirable to lay down any rigid period of time uniformly applicable in all cases within which the representation of the detenu must be considered by the State Government
The Court would have to consider judicially in each case on the available material whether the gap between the receipt of the representation and its consideration by the State Government is so unreasonably long and the explanation for the delay offered by the State Government was unsatisfactory as to render the detention order thereafter illegal
434 Article 215 of the Constitution enjoins that when any person is detained in pursuance of an order made under any law providing for preventive detention the authority making the order shall as soon as may be communicate to such person the grounds on which the order has been made and shall afford him the earliest opportunity of making a repre sentation against the order
Since AK Gopalan vs The State of Madras   there has been a catena of decisions of this Court taking the view that the representation of the detenu must be considered promptly by the State Government
In John Martin vs State of West Ben gal  it was observed that Article 225 does not say which is the authority to which the representa tion shall be made or which authority shall consider it
By section 81 of the Act the authority making the order is re quired to communicate to the detenu his grounds of detention and to afford him the earliest opportunity of making a representation against the order to the appropriate Govern ment
In Khudiram Das vs The State of West Bengal  Ors  it was explained that the constitutional Imperatives enacted in Article 225 are two fold 1 the detaining authority must as soon as may be that is as soon as practicable after the detention communicate to the detenu the grounds on which the order of detention has been made and 2 the detaining authority must afford the detenu the earliest opportunity of making a representation against the order of detention
These are the barest minimum safe guards which must be observed before an executive authority can be permitted to preventively detain a person and thereby drown his right of personal liberty in the name of public good and social security
 In State of Orissa  Anr vs Manilal Singhania  Anr supra the representation was made on October 21 1974 and it was received by the District Magistrate on the same day
The representation was processed through the different authorities
The Chief Minister was absent from headquarters between November 7 1974 and Novem ber 12 1974 and immediately on return to headquarters the Chief Minister disposed of the representation and rejected it on November 12 1974
It was found that there was no delay at any stage in movement of the representation from one officer to another
Every one having dealt with it promptly and after examining it submitted to the respective higher officer
The Chief Minister was out of the Capital and as soon as she returned without any delay at all dis posed of the representation
Accordingly this Court did not see any gap between the receipt of the representation and its consideration by the State Government which could be said to be unreasonably long and the period had been satis factorily explained in the affidavit of the State
Accord ingly the order of detention could not be held to be invalid on that ground
On 435 the other hand in Saleh Mohammed vs Union of India  Ors a delay of 22 days in considering the representation of the detenu was held to have violated Article 225 and vitiated the detention order
The repre sentation in that case was lying unattended in the office of the Superintendent of Jail or the Inspector General of prisons and accordingly it was held to have been a case of gross negligence and chilling indifference and on that short ground alone the detention order was quashed
In Kamla Kanyalal Khushalani vs State of Maharashtra  Anr  where the disposal of detenu s representation was delayed for 25 days it was held that the continued detention of the detenu was void and that it was of the utmost impor tance that all the necessary safeguards laid down by the Constitution under Article 21 or Article 225 should be complied with fully and strictly and any departure from any of the safeguards would void the order of detention
In Rattan Singh vs State of Punjab and Ors 1 the representation to the State Government and the Central Government were made by the detenu simultaneously though the Jail Superintendent who should either have forwarded the representation separately to the Governments concerned or else he should have forwarded them to the State Government with a request for the onward transmission of the other representation to the Central Government
Someone tripped somewhere and the representation addressed to the Central Government was apparently never forwarded to it with the inevitable result that the detenu had been unaccountably deprived of a valuable right to defend and assert his funda mental right to personal liberty
Chandrachud CJ speaking for the Court observed But the laws of preventive detention afford only a modicum of safeguards to persons de tained under them and if freedom and liberty are to have any meaning in our democratic set up it is essential that at least those safeguards are not denied to the detenus
Section 111 of COFEPOSA confers upon the Central Government the power to revoke an order of detention even if it is made by the State Government or its officer
That power in order to be real and effective must imply the right in a detenu to make a representation to the Central Government against the order of detention
The failure in this case on the part either of the Jail Superintendent or the State Government to forward the detenu s representation to the Central Government has deprived the detenu of the valuable right to have his detention revoked by that Government
The 436 continued detention of the detenu must there fore be held illegal and the detenu set free
 In Youssuf Abbas vs Union of India  Ors  the detenu claimed to have made a representation against his detention on October 1 1981
Government stated that an undated representation was received by it from the District Magistrate on October 23 1981
The Advisory Board met on October 23 1981
Thereafter the Government rejected the representation of the detenu on October 29 1981
Admit tedly the representation was not forwarded to the Advisory Board
It appears that the representation was forwarded by the Superintendent Central Jail to the District Magistrate on October 20 1981
Why his representation was detained with the Superintendent Central Jail from October 1 1981 to October 20 1981 was not explained
On that ground alone the writ petition was allowed and the detenu was directed to be set at liberty forthwith
In Asha Keshavrao Bhosale vs Union of India  Anr   it was found that a representation was made by the petitioner on behalf of the detenu which was received in the office of the Chief Minis ter on November 28 1984 and orders on that representation were passed on January 23 1985 and the same orders were received on January 28 1985
In the representation made by the petitioner himself to the Chief Minister the order of detention was casually impugned but lot of attention appears to have been bestowed on the necessity of keeping the detenu in a Bombay Jail instead of sending him to Nasik Road Prison as directed in the Order of detention
A detailed represen tation was made by the Secretary of an association which espoused his cause and that representation was received on November 29 1984 in the Secretariat of the Chief Minister and was forwarded to the Home Department on December 3
1984 and was finally disposed of on December 12 1984 and the rejection thereof was communicated on December 13 1984
This Court held that the petitioner was not entitled to make tenable submission on the score of delay in disposal of the representation
In Aslam Ahmed Zahire Ahmed Shaik vs Union of India  Ors   the Superintendent of Central Prison of Bombay to whom the representation was handed over by the detenu on June 16 1988 for more onward transmission to the Central Government has callously ignored and kept it unattended for a period of seven days and as a result of that the representation reached the Government 11 days after it was handed over to the Jail Superintendent without any explanation despite opportunity given by this Court
Pandian J speaking for the Court observed 437 In our view the supine indifference slack ness and callous attitude on the part of the Jail Superintendent who had unreasonably delayed in transmitting the representation as an intermediary had ultimately caused undue delay in the disposal of the appellant s representation by the Government which re ceived the representation 11 days after it was handedover to the Jail Superintendent by the detenu
This avoidable and unexplained delay has resulted in rendering the continued deten tion of the appellant illegal and constitu tionally impermissible Similarly in TA Abdul Rahman vs State of Kerala  Ors Jt
Today  the representation was submitted originally on 2511988 but was got back and resubmitted on 221988 and was received by the third respondent only on 1621988 and took time upto 2831988 in receiving the comments of the Collector of Customs
Again there was a delay of seven days in forwarding the representation to the Minister of State for Revenue with the comments of the Joint Secretary COFEPOSA section
In the opinion of their Lord ships the manner in which the representation had been dealt with revealed a sorry state of affair in the matter of consideration of the representation made by the detenu
It was not clear why such a long delay from 1621988 to 2831988 had occasioned in getting the comments from the Collector of Customs
Theft Lordships extracted what was said in Rama Dhondu Borade vs Shri VK Saraf Commissioner of Police  Ors 1989 1 Scale Vol
1 p 22 The detenu has an independent constitutional right to make his representation under Article 225 of the Constitution of India
Corre spondingly there is constitutional mandate commanding the concerned authority to whom the detenu forwards his representation questioning the correctness of the detention order clamped upon him and requesting for his release to consider the said representation within rea sonable dispatch and to dispose the same as expeditiously as possible
This constitutional requirement must be satisfied with respect but if this constitutional imperative is observed in breach it would amount to negation of the constitutional obligation rendering the con tinued detention constitutionally impermissi ble and illegal since such a breach would defeat the very concept of liberty the highly cherished right which is enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution
 438   
What is reasonably dispatch depends on the facts and circumstances of each case and no hard and fast rule can be laid down in that regard
However in case the gap between the receipt of the representation and its consideration by the authority is so unreason ably long and the explanation offered by the authority is so unsatisfactory such delay could vitiate the order of detention
 Their Lordships accordingly held that the representation of the detenu had not been given prompt and expeditious consid eration and was allowed to lie without being properly at tended to and secondly the unexplained delay in the disposal of the representation was violative of Article 225 of the Constitution of India rendering the order of detention invalid
In the instant case we are satisfied that after receipt of the Xerox copy from the Central Government the State Government took only 13 days including 4 holidays in dis posing of the representation
Considering the situation prevailing and the consultation needed in the matter the State Government could not have been unmindful of urgency in the matter
But the facts remain that it took more than two months from the date of submission of the representation to the date of informing the detenu of the result of his repre sentation
Eight days were taken after disposal of the representation by the State Government
The result is that the detenu s constitutional right to prompt disposal of his representation was denied and the legal consequences must follow
Assailing the finding of the High Court that opportunity was not afforded to the detenu to appear and produce his witnesses before the Advisory Board the learned Attorney General submits that the finding is not correct inasmuch as in spite of the best endeavour on the part of the detaining authority to produce the detenu and his witnesses before the Board in terms of the High Court s order dated 2791988 the detenu himself on a lame excuse avoided appearing and producing his witnesses before it and thereby left no other alternative than to tender its opinion to the State Govern ment on 1711
1988 whereupon the State Government confirmed the order of detention vide its order dated 22111988
It appears that it was decided to hold the sitting of the Advisory Board at Indore on 12111988 which was admit tedly a week before the mandatory last date for submitting the report
On 8111988 the 439 detenu at Agartala prayed for postponement of the Board sitting
The State Government informed the Board on the basis of Teleprinter message dated November 8 1988 received from Agartala that the detenu was unable to undertake the journey from Agartala to Indore
Thereafter the arrange ments made to carry the detenu and his witnesses to Indore by plane were also cancelled by the State Government of Punjab and the detenu was told through the Inspector General of Prisons Tripura by communication dated 11111988 as follows In response to this office message dated 8111988 Government of Punjab has informed me that next date of hearing as fixed by the NSA Board Punjab will be intimated
This is in connection with his prayer dated 8111988 for postponement of hearing by the NSA Board Punjab on 12111988 in the District Jail Indore
This may kindly be noted
 Admittedly the detenu was arrested on 2851988
The total period for Advisory Board s report under section 14A 2di was five months and three weeks
Reference to Advisory Board was made on 2681988
So the period would expire on or about 19111988
The Board fixed 12111988 for its sitting
The detenu prayed for adjournment as be cause of frozen joint he was unable to perform ablution and tie his turban
Whether that was a lame excuse or not need not be decided
The fact remained that he was told of anoth er sitting of the Board
Having a week in hand it would perhaps have been possible to hold another sitting of the Board and give the detenu an opportunity which however did not come
Of course the decision was that of the Advisory Board and not of the State Government
The High Court right ly observed that there was a communication gap
It is true that the Advisory Board is not a judicial body
It is charged with the responsibility of advising the Executive Government
But when it advises in favour of the detenu namely that there was no sufficient cause for detention it would be binding upon the Government under section 122 of the Act to release the detenu forthwith
The detenu in this case did not have that opportunity to show that there was no sufficient cause for this detention
Expressing inability to appear once could not have been treated as the detenu s not desiring to be heard under section 112 of the Act
In fact he desired to be heard and to produce his witnesses
The result was that despite the State Government s communication he was deprived of this opportunity
What then would be the result As was observed in Dr RK Bhardwaj vs The State of Delhi  440 Ors
  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
Following DS Roy vs State of West Bengal it can be said that Article 224 provides that no law providing for Preventive Detention shall authorise the detention of a person for a longer period than three months unless the Advisory Board has reported within that period that there is in its opinion sufficient cause for such detention
Law therefore mandates a reference to a Board and for it to report on the sufficiency or otherwise of the detention which should be within three months from the date of detention
It this case it is for this reason that after the Constitution every legislation dealing with Preventive Detention has made specific provision for confirmation and continuance of detention in view of the constitutional mandate in Article 224
In this case section 11 of the Act prescribes 5 months 3 weeks
Unless the Board has made a report to the effect that there is a sufficient cause for such detention within that period from the date of detention there can be no detention of a person under any law for a longer period than that
Relying on the observation of MH Beg J in PD Deorah vs The District Magistrate Kamrup  Ors  it can be said that the gravity of the evil to the community resulting from anti social activities can not furnish an adequate reason for invading the personal liberty of a citizen except in accordance with the proce dure established by the Constitution and the laws
The protection of personal liberty is largely through insistence on observance of the mandatory procedure
In cases of pre ventive detention observance of procedure has been the bastion against wanton assaults on personal liberty over the years
Social security is no doubt the most important goal of the State but it is not the only goal of a good society
There are other important values in a society
One of the foremost and fundamental right guaranteed in the Constitu tion is personal liberty and one cannot be deprived of it except by the procedure prescribed by law
Libertas inesti mabilis res est
Liberty is an inestimable thing above price
Libertus omnibbus rebus favourabilier est
Liberty is more favoured than all things anything
It would be ironic if in the name of social security we would sanction the subversion of this liberty
When a certain procedure is prescribed by the Constitution or the laws for depriving a citizen of his personal liberty we think it our duty to see that that procedure is strictly observed
As long back as in NP Umrao vs BB Gujral  Ors  at page 321 it was held to be well settled that in case of preven tive detention of a citizen the Constitution by article 225 as interpreted by this Court enjoins that the obligation of the 441 appropriate Government is to afford the detenu the opportu nity to make a representation and to consider that represen tation and there is the Government s obligation to consti tute a Board and to communicate the representation amongst other materials to the Board to enable it to form its opinion and to obtain such opinion
It was also reiterated that when liberty of the subject is involved under a preven tive detention law it is the bounden duty of the court to satisfy itself that all the safeguards provided by the law have been scrupulously observed and that the subject is not deprived of his personal liberty otherwise than in accord ance with law
Two of these safeguards under article 22 which relate to the observance of the principle of natural justice and which a fortiori are intended to act as a check on the arbitrary exercise of power are to be found in Article 225 of the Constitution
These safeguards might be desig nated as a regulative postulate of respect that is respect for the intrinsic dignity of the human person
The detention of individuals without trial for any length of time howso ever short is wholly inconsistent with the basic ideas of our Government
As was pointed out in VC Jawantraj Jain vs Shri Pradhan  Ors  one of the two safe guards provided to a detenu is that his case must be re ferred to an Advisory Board for its opinion if it is sought to detain him for a longer period than three months and the other is that he should be afforded the earliest opportunity of making a representation against the order of detention and such representation should be considered by the detain ing authority as early as possible before any order is made confirming the detention
Neither safeguards is dependent on the other and both have to be observed by the detaining authority
It is no answer for the detaining authority to say that representation of the detenu was sent by it to the Advisory Board and that the Board has considered the repre sentation and then made a report expressing itself in favour of detention
Even if the Advisory Board has made a report stating that in its opinion there is sufficient cause for the detention the State Government is not bound by such opinion and it may still on considering the representation of the detenu or otherwise decline to confirm the order of detention and release the detenu
It is imperative for the State Government to consider the representation of the detenu before making the order confirming the detention
Fazal Ali J emphasised in Bal Chand Choraria vs Union of India and Ors  that in matters where the liberty of the subject is concerned and a highly cherished right is involved the representation made by the detenu should be construed liberally and not technically so as to frustrate or defeat the concept of liberty which is en grained in article 21 of the Constitution of India
In Smt
Kavita vs The State of Maharashtra  442 Ors
   it was emphasised that the Advisory Board is charged with the task of submitting the report within the prescribed period after hearing the detenu specifying its opinion as to whether or not there is sufficient cause for the detention of the person concerned
The Advisory Board as was held in AK Roy vs Union of India 1982 Vol  is to consider the question whether there is sufficient cause for the detention of the person concerned and not where the detenu is guilty of any charge
The detenu may therefore present his own evidence in rebuttal of the allegations made against him and may offer other oral and documentary evidence before the Advisory Board in order to rebut the allegations which are made against him
If the detenu desires to examine any witnesses he shall keep them present at the appointed time and no obligation can be cast on the Advisory Board to summon them
The Advisory Board like any other Tribunal is free to regulate its own procedure within the constraints of the Constitution and the statute
If report is submitted by the Advisory Board without hearing the detenu who desired to be heard it will be violative of the safeguards provided under Article 22 of the Constitution and sections 10 and 11 of the Act
Failure to produce the detenu unless it is for wilful refusal of the detenu himself to appear will be equally violative of those provisions
In State of Rajasthan vs Shamsher Singh 1985 Suppl
1 SCR 83 the importance of the proceedings before the Advisory Board was highlighted
In fact it is the only opportunity for the detenu of being heard along with his representation for deciding whether there was sufficient cause for his detention
The increasing need for ensuring public safety and security in the State of Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh has been reflected in the recent successive amendments of the Act 65 of 1980 with which we are concerned
The Act was amended by the National Security Amendment Ordinance 1984 which was repealed by the National Security Amendment Act 1984 18th May 1984 Act NO
24 of 1984 which was deemed to have come into force on the 15th day of April 1984
Section 2 of this amendment Act provided that the shall in its application to the State of Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh have effect subject to the amendments specified in sections 3 to 5
Section 3 was amended to the extent that in sub section 4 of section 3 of the Principal Act detaining officer reporting to the State Government in the proviso for the words 10 days the words 15 days shall be 443 substituted and for the words 15 days the words 20 days shall be substituted
Similarly in sub section 1 of sec tion 8 communicating grounds of detention to the detenu for the words 10 days the words 15 days shall be substi tuted
A new section namely section 14A was inserted after section 14
This was followed by the National Security 2nd Amendment Act 1984 and the National Security Amendment Act of 1985
This was followed by the National Security Amendment Ordinance of 1987 which was repealed by the National Security Amendment Act 1987 Act No 27 of 1987 which further amended the Act in its application to the State of Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh
The National Security Amendment Act 1984 section 4 of the National Security 2nd Amendment Act 1984 the National Security Amendment Act 1985 and the National Security Amendment Ordinance 1987 were thereby repealed
This was followed by the National Security Amendment Ordinance 1988 which was repealed by the National Security Amendment Act 1988 Act No 43 of 1988
In Section 14A as inserted by the Amendment Act of 1984 the provision was where such person had been detained with a view to preventing him from acting in any disturbed area in any manner prejudicial to    It was by the National Security Amendment Act 1987 Act No 27 of 1987 that the provision of detention without obtaining the opinion of the Advisory Board for a period longer than 3 months but not exceeding 6 months from the date of his detention where such person had been detained with a view to preventing him in any disturbed area  1 from interfering with the efforts of Government in coping with the terrorists and disruptive activities was insert ed
We find that while sub section 2 of section 3 of the Act before the amendment of 1984 provided that the Central Government and the State Government may if satisfied with respect to any person that with a view to preventing him from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of the State or from acting in any manner prejudicial to the main tenance of public order or from acting in any manner preju dicial to the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community it is necessary so to do make an order directing that such person be detained section 14A as inserted by the Amendment Act of 1984 provided that notwith standing anything contained in the foregoing provisions of this Act any person in respect of whom an order of detention has been made at any time before the 3rd day of April 1986 444 may be detained without obtaining the opinion of the Adviso ry Board for a period longer than three months but not exceeding six months from the date of his detention where such person had been detained with a view to preventing him from acting in any disturbed area in any manner prejudi cial to a the defence of India or b the security of India or c the security of the State or d the mainte nance of public order or e the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community
The amendment Act of 1987 added of these the ground from interfering with the efforts of Government in coping with the terrorist and disruptive activities Thus as a result of these amendments applicable to the State of Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh we find on one hand addition to the grounds of detention and on the other extension of the period during which a person could be detained without obtaining the opinion of the Advisory Board
There is however no amendment as to the safeguards provided under Article 22 and sections 9 10 and 11 of the Act
Indeed there could be no such amendment
This reminds us of what was said of course in a slightly differ ent context Amid the clash of arms laws are not silent
They may be changed but they speak the same language in war and peace Would laws speak in a different language in internal disturbance Lex uno ore omnes alloquitur
Law addresses all with one mouth or voice
Quotiens dubia inter pretatio libertatis est secundum libertatem respondendum erit Whenever there is a doubt between liberty and bondage the decision must be in favour of liberty
So says the Digest
The result in that this appeal fails and is dismissed
As ordered by the High Court the detenu is to be set at liberty forthwith if he is not required to be detained in connection with any other case
RNJ Appeal dismissed


Summary:
The appellants are interested in running educational institutions which are covered by the expression private educational institution within the meaning of Section 2f of the Tamil Nadu Private Educational Institutions Regula tion Act 1966
The vires of the Act especially sections 2c 3a 3b 6 7 read with sections 15 22 and 28 was challenged before the High Court by way of a writ petition
The High Court struck down section 28 and upheld the other sections
This appeal by certificate is against the High Court s judgment upholding the validity of the said sections
As regards the striking down of section 28 it has not been impugned by the respondent State
The appellants contended that the Act does not lay down any guideline for the exercise of power by the delegated authority and so the decision of the competent authority is bound to be discriminatory and arbitrary
It was also con tended that the Act imposed unreasonable restrictions on the appellants in the running of tutorial institutions and such regulations were violative of Article 291g of the Con stitution of India
On behalf of the respondent it was stated that suffi cient guidance is available to the authority concerned by virtue of subsection 2c of Section 4 and hence the appellants  contentions were not justified
372 Allowing the appeal HELD 11
It is well established that determination of legislative policy and formulation of rule of conduct are essential legislative functions which cannot be delegated
What is permissible is to leave to the delegated authority the task of implementing the object of the Act after the legislature lays down adequate guidelines for the exercise of power
Examined in this light the impugned provisions of the Tamil Nadu Private Educational Institutions Regulation Act 1966 miserably fail to come to the required standard
These sections are held to be invalid
They are inextricably bound up with the other parts of the Act so as to form part of a single scheme and it is not possible to sever the other parts of the Act and save them
Hence the entire Act is declared ultra vires
376D E 379G 12
There is no indication whatsoever about the legislative policy or the accepted rule of conduct on the vital issue about the maintenance of academic standard of the institution and the other requirements relating to the building library and necessary amenities for the students as the Act is absolutely silent about the criteria to be adopted by the prescribed authority for granting or refusing permission
Even the rules which were made under Section 27 in 1968 and called the Tamil Nadu Private Educational Insti tutions Regulation Rules 1968 are not called upon to lay down any norm on these issues and naturally do not make any reference to these aspects
The result is that the power to grant or refuse permission is to be exercised according to the whims of the authority and it may differ from person to person holding the office
The danger of arbitrariness is enhanced by the unrestricted and unguided discretion vested in the State Government under Section 2c of the Act in the choice of competent authority
377E G 21
Section 6 which empowers the competent authority to grant or refuse to grant permission for establishing and running an institution does not give any idea as to the conditions which it has to fulfil before it can apply for permission under the Act nor are the tests indicated for refusing permission or cancelling under Section 7 of an already granted permission
376H 377A 22
The only safeguard given to the applicant institu tion is to be found in the first proviso to Section 6 which says that the permission shall not be refused unless the applicant has been given an opportunity of making his repre sentation but that does not by itself protect the applicant from discriminatory treatment
So far as Section 7 dealing with 373 power to cancel the permission granted earlier is concerned no objection can be taken to the first part of the section whereunder the permission may be cancelled in case of fraud misrepresentation suppression of material particulars or contravention of any provision of the Act or the Rules
But the other ground on which the authority can exercise its power being contravention of any direction issued by the competent authority under this Act again suffers from the vice of arbitrariness
378B D 23 Section 15 is too wide in terms and does not indi cate the nature of the direction or the extent within which the authority should confine itself while exercising the power
Similarly under Section 22 the State Government has been vested with unrestricted discretion in picking and choosing the institutions for exemption from the Act
378D E State of West Bengal vs Anwar Ali Sarkar   Kunnathat Thathunni Moopil Nair vs The State of Kerala and Anr   Harakchand Ratanchand Banthia and Ors
vs Union of India  Ors
   relied on