[CASE NUMBER] [ENTITY] R/[CASE NUMBER] FORAPPROVALANDSIGNATURE: HONOURABLEMR.JUSTICE[ENTITY] 1 WhetherReportersofLocalPapersmaybeallowed toseethejudgment? 2 TobereferredtotheReporterornot? 3 WhethertheirLordshipswishtoseethefaircopyof thejudgment? 4 Whetherthiscaseinvolvesasubstantialquestionof law as to the interpretation of the [ACT]? [ENTITY] Versus COMMISSIONEROFPOLICE,AHMEDABADCITY Appearance: MRSANJAYPRAJAPATI(3227)forthePETITIONER(s)No.1 MSMONALIBHATTAGPfortheRESPONDENT(s)No.3 RULESERVEDBYDS(65)fortheRESPONDENT(s)No.1,2 CORAM:HONOURABLEMR.JUSTICE[ENTITY] Date:03/10/2018 ORALJUDGMENT
1. Heardlearnedadvocatesappearingfortherespectiveparties.
2. Thepresentpetitionisdirectedagainstorderofdetentiondated 15.03.2018passedbytherespondent-detainingauthorityinexercise of powers conferred under [SECTION] of the [ACT]
2.1. Thecaseofthepetitioneristhatonaccountofthecomplaints which are narrated in the impugned order, the petitioner has been detained vide order dated 15.03.2018. Therefore, considering the avermentsmadeinthepetition,theCourton14.08.2018waspleased toadmitthepetitionandthereafterithascomeupforfinalhearing beforethisCourtwhereinlearnedadvocateMr.[ENTITY] appeared for the petitioner and learned AGP Ms. [ENTITY] has representedtherespondent-State.
3. Learned advocate for the detenue submits that the order of detentionimpugnedinthispetitiondeservestobequashedandset asideonthegroundofregistrationoftwooffencesunderSection379 of the [ACT], by itself cannot bring the case of the detenuewithinthepurviewofdefinitionundersection2(c)oftheAct. Further,learnedadvocateforthedetenuesubmitsthatillegalactivity likelytobecarriedoutorallegedtohavebeencarriedout,asalleged, cannot have any nexus or bearing with the maintenance of public orderandatthemost,itcanbesaidtobebreachoflawandorder. Further, except statement of witnesses, registration of above FIR/s and [ENTITY] drawn in pursuance of the investigation, no other relevant and cogent material is on record connecting alleged anti social activity of the detenue with breach of public order. Learned advocateforthepetitionerfurthersubmitsthatitisnotpossibleto holdonthebasisofthefactsofthepresentcasethatactivityofthe detenuewithrespecttothecriminalcaseshadaffectedeventempoof thesocietycausingthreattotheveryexistenceofnormalandroutine life of people at large or that on the basis of criminal cases, the detenue had put the entire social apparatus in disorder, making it difficultforwholesystemtoexistasasystemgovernedbyruleoflaw [CASE NUMBER] bydisturbingpublicorder.Itisfurthercontendedthatthedetention isbasedontwooffencesandoneofwhichisofApril,2017whichis seizedbythecompetentcourt.Noothersubmissionshavebeenmade.
4. LearnedAGPfortherespondentStatesupportedthedetention orderpassedbytheauthorityandsubmittedthatsufficientmaterial andevidencewasfoundduringthecourseofinvestigation,whichwas also supplied to the detenue indicate that detenue is in habit of indulgingintotheactivityasdefinedundersection2(c)oftheActand consideringthefactsofthecase,thedetainingauthorityhasrightly passed the order of detention and detention order deserves to be upheldbythisCourt.
5. Havingheardlearnedadvocatesforthepartiesandconsidering thefactsandcircumstancesofthecase,itappearsthatthesubjective satisfactionarrivedatbythedetainingauthoritycannotbesaidtobe legal, valid and in accordance with law, inasmuch as the offences allegedintheFIR/scannothaveanybaringonthepublicorderas requiredunder the Act andother relevant penallaws aresufficient enoughtotakecareofthesituationandthattheallegationsashave beenlevelledagainstthedetenuecannotbesaidtobegermaneforthe purposeofbringingthedetenuewithinthemeaningofsection2(c)of theAct. Unlessanduntil,thematerialistheretomakeoutacase thatthepersonhasbecomeathreatandmenacetotheSocietysoas todisturbthewholetempoofthesocietyandthatallsocialapparatus isinperildisturbingpublicorderattheinstanceofsuchperson,it cannot be saidthat thedetenue is aperson within the meaning of section2(c)oftheAct.Exceptgeneralstatements,thereisnomaterial onrecordwhichshowsthatthedetenueisactinginsuchamanner, whichisdangeroustothepublicorder.
6. Further, The essential concept of the preventive detention is [CASE NUMBER] thatthedetentionofapersonisnottopunishhimforsomethinghe hasdonebuttopreventhimfromdoingit.Thebasisofdetentionis the satisfaction of the executive of a reasonable probability of the likelihoodofthedetenuactinginamannersimilartohispastacts and preventing him by detention from doing the same. A criminal convictionontheotherhandisforanactalreadydonewhichcanonly bepossiblebyatrialandlegalevidence.Thereisnoparallelbetween theprosecutioninaCourtoflawandadetentionorderundertheAct. Oneisapunitiveactionandtheotherisapreventiveact.Inonecase apersonispunishedtoproveonproofofhisguiltandthestandardis proof beyond the reasonable doubt whereas in the preventive detention a man is prevented from doing something which it is necessaryforreasonsmentionedinsection3oftheActtoprevent.
7. Thepowerofpreventivedetentionisqualitativelydifferentfrom punitive detention. The power of preventive detention is a precautionary power exercised inreasonable anticipation.It may or maynotrelatetoanoffence.Itisnotaparallelproceeding.Itdoesnot overlapwithprosecutionevenifitreliesoncertainfactsforwhich prosecutionmaybelaunchedormayhavebeenlaunched.Anorderof preventivedetention,maybemadebeforeorduringprosecution.An order of preventive detention may be made with or without prosecutionandinanticipationorafterdischargeorevenacquittal. The pendency of prosecution is no bar to an order of preventive detention. An order of preventive detention is also not a bar to prosecution.
8. TheSupremeCourtonseveraloccasionsexaminedtheconcepts of "law and order" and "public Order". Immediately after the [ACT] came into force, a [ACT] Bench of the Supreme CourtinthecaseofBrijBhushan&Anotherv.TheStateofDelhi, (1950) SCR 605 dealt with a case pertaining to public order. The [CASE NUMBER] court observed that "public order" may well be paraphrased in the contextas"publictranquility".
8.1 Another celebrated [ACT] Bench judgment of the [PRECEDENT],reportedin(1950)SCR594.Inthiscase,RomeshThappar, (Supra) a printer, publisher and editor of weekly journal inEnglish called Cross Roads printed and published in Bombay was detained under the [ACT]. The detentionorderwaschallengeddirectlyintheSupremeCourtofIndia by filing a writ petition under [SECTION] of the [ACT]. The allegation was that the detenu circulated documents to disturb the public tranquility and to create disturbance of public order and tranquility.
TheSupremeCourtobserved: " `Public order' is an expression of wide connotation and signifies that state of tranquillity which prevails among the membersofapoliticalsocietyasaresultofinternalregulations enforcedbytheGovernmentwhichtheyhaveestablished it must be taken that `public safety'is used as apart of the widerconceptofpublicorder "
9. Thedistinctionbetween"publicorder"and"lawandorder"has been carefully defined in a [ACT] Bench judgment of the SupremeCourtinthecaseof Dr.[PRECEDENT] His Lordship [ENTITY], J. by giving various illustrations clearly definedthe"publicorder"and"lawandorder".Relevantportionofthe judgmentreadsthus:
" Does the expression "public order" take in every kind of disorderoronlysome?Theanswertothisservestodistinguish "public order" from "law and order" because the latter undoubtedlytakesinallofthem.Publicorderifdisturbed,must leadtopublicdisorder.Everybreachofthepeacedoesnotlead [CASE NUMBER] topublicdisorder.Whentwodrunkardsquarrelandfightthere isdisorderbutnotpublicdisorder.Theycanbedealtwithunder thepowerstomaintainlawandorderbutcannotbedetainedon thegroundthattheyweredisturbingpublicorder.Supposethat thetwofighterswereofrivalcommunitiesandoneofthemtried toraisecommunalpassions.Theproblemisstilloneoflawand order but it raises the apprehension of public disorder. Other examples can be imagined. The contravention of law always affectsorderbutbeforeitcanbesaidtoaffectpublicorder,it must affect the community or the public at large. A mere disturbance of law and order leading to disorder is thus not necessarilysufficientforactionundertheDefenceofIndiaAct butdisturbanceswhichsubvertthepublicorderare.ADistrict Magistrate is entitled to take action under [SECTION] to preventsubversionofpublicorderbutnotinaidofmaintenance oflawandorderunderordinarycircumstances.
Itwillthusappearthatjustas"publicorder"intherulingsof thisCourt (earliercited)wassaidtocomprehend disordersof less gravity than those affecting "security of State", "law and order" also comprehends disorders of less gravity than those affecting "public order". One has to imagine three concentric circles.Lawandorderrepresentsthelargestcirclewithinwhich is the next circle representing public order and the smallest circlerepresentssecurityofState.Itistheneasytoseethatan actmayaffectlawandorderbutnotpublicorderjustasanact mayaffectpublicorderbutnotsecurityoftheState "
10. [ENTITY]
[ENTITY] and others, reported in [PRECEDENT], the SupremeCourtmadethefollowingobservations:
"Thebasisuponwhichthepetitionerhasbeendetained inthe instantcaseisthatherobbedoneKumaratthepointofknifea sumofRs.1000/.Anydisorderlybehaviourofapersoninthe public or commission of a criminal offence is bound, to some extent,affectthepeaceprevailinginthelocalityanditmayalso affectlawandorderbutthesameneednotaffectmaintenance ofpublicorder.UnderthedefinitionsintheActitisstatedthat the case of 'Goonda' the acts prejudicial to public order are 'whenheisengaged,orismakingpreparationsforengaging,in anyofhisativitiesasagoondawhichaffectadversely,orare likelytoaffectadversely,themaintenanceofpublicorder'.The questionwhetheramanhas onlycommittedabreachoflaw andorderorhasactedinamannerlikelytocausedisturbance [CASE NUMBER] ofthepublicorderisaquestionofdegreeandtheextentofthe reachoftheactuponthesociety;thatasolitaryassaultonone individualcanhardlybesaidtodisturbpublicpeaceorplace public order in jeopardy so as to bring the case within the purviewoftheActprovidingforpreventivedetention."
11. Thus,fromthevariousdecisionsoftheSupremeCourtreferred toabove,itcouldeasilybesaidthatthedetainingauthorityhasfailed to substantiate that the alleged antisocial activities of the detenu affect adversely or are likely to affect adversely the maintenance of public order. It is true that there is a very thin line between the questionoflawandordersituationandapublicordersituation,and sometimes,theactsofapersonrelatingtolawandordersituation canturnintoaquestionofpublicordersituation.Whatisdecisivefor determining the connection of ground of detention with the maintenance of public order, the object of detention, is not an intrinsicqualityoftheactbutratheritslatentpotentiality.Therefore, for determining whether the ground of detention is relevant for the purposesofpublicorderornot,merelyanobjectivetestbasedonthe intrinsicqualityofanactwouldnotbeasafeguide.Thepotentialityof the act has to be examined in the light of the surrounding circumstances, posterior and anterior. Just because one case has beenregisteredagainstthedetenuoftheoffenceunderSection324of the [ACT] and two incamera statements have been recordedofthewitnesseswhoseidentityhasnotbeendisclosed,by itselfdonothaveanybearingonthemaintenanceofthepublicorder. Thedetenumaybepunishedfortheoffencewhichhasbeenregistered againsthimbut,surely,theactsconstitutingtheoffencecannotbe saidtohaveaffectedtheeventempoofthelifeofthecommunity.
12. Thus,intheoverallviewofthematter,Iamconvincedthatthe detentionofthepetitionerisnotinaccordancewithlawandtheorder ofdetentiondeservestobequashedandsetaside.
[CASE NUMBER]
13. Inviewofabove,Iaminclinedtoallowthispetition,because simplicitorregistrationofFIR/sbyitselfcannothaveanynexuswith thebreachofmaintenanceofpublicorderandtheauthoritycannot have recourse under the Act and no other relevant and cogent materialexistsforinvokingpowerundersection3(2)oftheAct.Inthe result,thepresentpetitionisherebyallowedandtheimpugnedorder ofdetentionNo.PCB/DTN/PASA/206/2018dated15.03.2018passed by the respondent - detaining authority is hereby quashed and set aside. The detenue is ordered to be set at liberty forthwith if not requiredinanyothercase.
14. Ruleismadeabsoluteaccordingly.Directserviceispermitted.
([ENTITY],J) /phalguni/