321>

HARU DAS GUPTA

STATE OF WEST BENGAL February 1, 1972

[J.M. SHBLAT AND H. R. KHANNA, JJ.J

West Bengal (Prevention of Violent Activities) Act, (Presidenfs Act 19 of 1970), ss. 12 and 13-Period of three months from the date of detention-Method of computation.

The petitioner was arrested and detained on February 5, 1971 under C s. 3 of the West Bengal (Prevention of Violent Activities) Act, 1970.

After receipt of the report of the Advisory Board, the St>te Government confirmed the detention order on May 5, 1971.

On the question whether the c"'1firmation was made one day after the expiration of the period of 3 months from the date of detention.

HELD : The

0 effect ol defining a period from such a day until such a day within which an '1Ct is to he done is to exclude the first day and to include the last day; and tberefdre, in the present case, the order of confirmation was made before the expiration of the period of three months. from the date of detention. [331 E-FJ

Young v. Higgon, 6 M & W 50 = 151 E.R. (Ex.) 317, RadcliDe v •.

Bartholomew, [1892) 1 Q.B. 161. Williams v.

Burges 10 L.J.O.B. 10, Hardy v. Rlye, 9 B & C 603, English v. CliD, [1914) 2 Ch. 376, Goldsmiths' E Co. v. West Metropolitan Rly. Co. [1904] 1 K.B. 1, S, Cartwright v.

MacCormac, [1963] 1 All E.R. U; 13, Marren v. Dawson Bentley cl CO.:

Ltd., [1961) 2 Q.B. 135, Stewart v. Chanman, U951) 2 K.B. 792, In re: .

North, Ex parte Hasluck, , H895] 2 Q.B. 264 and Halsbury's Laws of Eng-· land 3rd ed. Vol. 37, pp. 92 and 95) refererd to.

ORIGINAL JURISDICTION: Writ Petition No. 287 of 1971 ..

Under article 32 .of the Constitution of India for a writ in the, nature or habeas corpus.

N. N. Goswami, for the petitioner.

D, N. Mukherjee, Sukumar Basu and G. S. Chatterjee, for the respondent.

The Judgment of the Coun was delivered by

Shelat, J.

The petitioner was arrested and detained on February 5, 1971 in pursuance of an order of detention passed on that very day by the Qistrict Magistrate, 24 Parganas under sec. 3(1) and (3) of the West Bengal (Prevention of Violent Activities)· Act, President's Act 19 of 1970.

There is no dispute that, as required by !he Act, his case was: referred to the Advisory Board and on receii>t of its rep<>.\'t that

330.

SUPREME COURT REPORTS

[1972] 3 S.C.R.

there was sufficient cause for his detention, the State Government under sec. 12 of the ct made an order or decision confirming the said deten1ion order and continuing his detenion thereunder.

The order of confirmation and continuation was made on May 5, 1971. .

The only contention raised in this petition was that the order or decision of confirmation of the said detention order was made one day after the explra11ion of the period of three months from the date of detention, that the said period of three months would end on the midnight of May 4, 1971, and that any confirmation .. and continuation of detention made othereaher would not oo valid.

The question is when can 1ihe period of three months from the date of detention be saic\ to have expired. . When a period of tiine running from a given day or event to another day or event is prescribed by law or fixed by contract and the qiiestion arises whether the computaticin is to be made inclusively or exclusively of the first-mentiQned Qr of the last-mentioned day, regard must be had to the context and to the purpose for which the computa- . tion has to be made. (Halsbury's Laws of Eng/and, (3rd. ed.) vol 37, p. 92).

There is, however, a volume of authority in England showing that where a certain thing has to be done within a specified period, the day on which the cause of action arose is to be excluded from computation and the day on which such action is taken is to be included. As early as 1840, Parke, B. laid down this rule in Young v. Higgon('). In Radc(ifje v. Bartholomew(2 ), Wills, J., relying on Williams v. Burgess(') and Hardy v. Ryle('), held that a complaint under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, filed on June 30, in respedt of an act alleged to have been committed on May 30, was "within one calendar monllh after

the cause of such complaint shall arise". He held so on the principle that the day on which the cause for the complaint arose had to F be excluded while computing the period within which under the Act othe complaint had to be filed. In Williams v. Burgess,( 8 ) the staJtute directed warrants of attorney to be filed "within twentyone days after their execution", and it was held that a warrant executed on the 9th day of the month would be regarded as having been filed in proper time if filed on the 30th, the day of execution being one which had to be excluded.

On the other hand, in a case where a settler by a settlement, dated May 13, 1892, conve}OO real estate unto anil to the use of the trustees upon trust !hereinafter declared and it was thereby declared that they should stand possessed of the said premises during the term of twentyone years from 1; he date thereof upon trust to apply the rents and

(1) 6 M & .w 50-151 English Reports (Ex) 317.

(2) [18921

I Q.B. 161.

(3) JO L.J. Q.B. 10. c(4) 9 B . & C 603.

H. D. GUPTA V. WEST BENGAL (She/at, ].) 331

profits as therein mentioned and it was further declared that the trustees should at the expiration of the said term of twenty-one years sell the said premises and pursuant the said trust for sale the trustees contracted to sell the real estate on June 20, 1913, it was held tllat the term of twenty-one years commenced from

the midnigh' of May 12, 1892, and therefore, the trust was not void for remoteness on the ground of exceeding a term of twentyone years from its creation. [see English v. Cliff(1)].

These decisions show that courts have drawn a distinction between a term created within which an act may be done and a time limited for the doing of an act. The rule is well established that where a particular time is given from a certain date within which an act is to be done, the day on that date is to be excluded. [see Goldsmiths' Company v. The West Metropolitan Railway Company(')]. This rule was followed in Cartwright v. Mac- Cormack('), where the expression "fifteen days from.the date of commencement of the P.olicy" in a cover note issued by an insur7 ance company was cons.trued .as excluding the first date and the cover note to commence at midnight of that day, and also in Marren v. Dawson Bentley & Co. Ltd.,(4) a case for compensation for injuries received in the course of employment, where for purposes of computing' the period of limitation the date of tho accident, being the date of the cause of action, was excluded. [see also Stewart v: Chanman(') and In re North, Ex parte Hasluck(')]. Thus, as a general rule the effect of defining a period from such a day until such a day within which an act is to be done is to exclude the first day and to include the last day. (see Halsbury's Laws of England, (3rd ed.) vol. 37, pp. 92 and 95) There is no reason why the aforesaid mle of construction followed consistently and for so long should not also be applied here.

In computing the period of three months from the date of detention, which was February 5, 1971, before the expiration of which the order or decision for confirming the detention order and continuation of the detention therennder had to be made, the date of the commencement of detention, namely, February 5, 1971, has to be excluded.

So done, the order of confirmation was made before the expiration of the period of three months from the date of detention.

The contention rais¢ on behalf of the petitioner, thus, cannot be sustained. Accordingly the writ petition is dismissed.

V.P.S.

(I) (19141 2 Ch 376.

(3) [1963] I All E.R. II at p. 13.

(5) (1951] 2 K.B. 792.

Petition dismissed.

(2) (1904) IK.B. I, at p. 5.

(4) [1961] 2Q.B. 135.

(6) [18951 2 Q.B. 264.