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RAZIA UMAR BAKSHI

UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.

June 23, 1980

[S. MURTAZA FAZAL ALI, J.]

Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, Section 3-When grounds of detention are couched in English, a language not known to the detenu and the grounds are not explained in the language

known to the detenu either, the detention order is vitiated-Fact that the grounds of detention was explained to the detenu in the language should be ·

explained by sworn affidavit by the afjicer who explained the grounds and not by any other-Constitution of India, Article 22(5)-Right to repre.{entation 10 the Central Government Section 11 of COFEPO, S'A, explained.

Allowing the petition, the Court

, HELD : 1. Where. the detaining authority is s:1tisfied that the grounds ai:-e couched in a language which is not known to the detenu, it must see to it that the grounds are explained to the detenu, a trv.nslated script is given to him and the grounds bear some sort of a certificate to show that the grounds have been explained to the detenu in the language, which he understands.

[1400 D-El

A bare denial at the stage when the Habeas Corpus petition is :filed in 1he court by the detaining authority that these formalities ere observed would be of no consequence particularly when it is not supported by any document or by any affidavit of the person who had done the job of explaining or translation.

[1400 E-F]

Hadibandhu Das v. District Magistrate, Cuttack and Anr. [1968] 1 SCR 227; followed.

2. Courts frown on detention without trial and insist on the strict compliance of the constitutional safeguards enshrined in .A.rticle 22(5) to the letter of the law, because a non-compliance of these safeguards would itself be sufficient to vitiate the order of detention. [1400 l~-G]

3. Section 11 of COFEPOSA confers a constitutionat right on the detenu to have his representation considered by . the Centml Government. It is true that the Central Government has a discretion to revoke or confirm the detention but the detenu' has undoubtedJy a right that his representation should be considered by the Central Government for whatever worth it is.

The mere fact the.t the detenu had sent a copy to the Central Government does not absolve the detaining authority from the statutory duty of forwarding the representation to the Central Govennent. [1401 B-D]

[The Court expressed the hope that in future the detaining authorities should fully apply their mind so as to result in a. strict compliance of the constitutional safeguards contained in the Constitution, more particularly, because the liberty of the subject is in peril.]

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RAZIA UMAR BAKSHI v. UNION OF INDIA (Fazal Ali, !.) 1399

OiuGINAL JURISDICTION: :Writ Petition No. 631 of 1980.

(Under Article 32 of the Constitution.)

Ram Jethmalani, M. M. Lodha and Harjinder, Singh for !he Petitioner.

R. B. Datar, R. N. Sachthey and M. N. Shroff for the Respondents.

FAZAL Au, J. (Vacation Judge) The detenu was detained under sub-Section ( 1) of Section 3 of The. Conservation of Foreign Exchange aad Prevention of Smuggling Activities (in short COFEPOSA) by tho Government of Gujarat by its order dated January 30, 1980.

Tue.order was passed by Mr. P. M. Shah, Deputy Secretary to the Government of Gujarat who authenticated the said order on behalf of the State Government. The detenu while making a representation to the State Government .also prayed for supply of documents to him in order to make a more ef!.ective representation.

These documents however were supplied on March 27, 1980 although the order

of detention was itself confirmed on March 21, 1980. In the representation sent to the Government, the detenu had made a specific prayer that his representation shou!d be forwarded to the Central Government for being considered.

In support of the rule, Mr. Ram Jethmalani, counsel appearing fot the detenu raised two points before this Court. In the first place it 'Was submitted that the counsel on behalf of the detenu has expressly

pleaded that the grounds of detention were couched in English, a hlnguage which the detenu did not understand at all and these grounds

were not explained to him.

A specific ground on this aspect of the matter has n taken in ground No. XID at page 21 of the petition

which may be extracted thus :-

"That the detenu does not know English. . The ground~ of detmtion and the order of detention were in English. No vernacular translation of the grounds was given nor they were explained to detenu in a language known to him."

This allegation seems to have been denied by the respondents in para 14 of the affidavit of Mr. P. M. Shah, on-behalf of the detaining authority, where he stated that the grounds Were explained to the

u in the language known to him. It was averred in para S that <ibe Mr. A. K. Sharma, Police Inspector, C.I.Dc (Crime Branch),

Ahlnedabad had explained to the detenu the order 6f detenti<>n and 1lle grounds communica1ed to him on January 30, 1980. This affida'Yit, in my Opinion, is wholly inadmissible in evidence. If it wa8

SUPREME COURT REPORTS

[1980] 3 S.C.R.

a fact that Mr Sharma had personally explained the grounds to the detenu the'n the respondents should have filed an affidavit of Mr.

- Shanna himself to show that he had actually explained the contents

of the grounds to the detenu by translating the same in the language whic)l he understood.

No such affidavit is forthcoming.

No contemporaneous record has been produced to show that Mr. Sharma had actually explained or translated the grounds to the detenu. The r vice of the grou'nd of detention on the detenu is a very precious constitutional right and where the grounds are couched in a language which is not known to the detenu, unless the contents of the grounds , are fully explained and translated to the deteno, it will tantamount to 'not serving the grounds of detention to the detenu and would thus vitiate the detention ex-facie.

In case of Hatlibandhu Das v. District Magistrate, Cuttack & Anr. [1969 (1) SCR 227), it was clearly held that merely oral explanation of an order without supplying him a translation in a script or language which the detenu understood amounted to a denial of right of being communicated the grou'nds. In the instant case, it is not even alleged in the affidavit of Mr. Shah that any tranSlation or translated script of the grounds was famished to the detenu.

In case of Hadibandhu Das v. District Magie/rate, Cutlack -.!< ground alone.

I would however like to observe that in eases where the detaining authority is satisfied that the grounds are couched in a language which is not known to the detenu, it must see to it that the grounds are explained to the detenu, a translated script is given to him and the grounds bear some sort of a certificate to sh01' that the grounds have been explained to the detenu in the language which he understands.

A bare de'nial at the stage when Habeas Corpus petition is filed in the court by the detaining authority that these formalities were ooorrved would be of no consequence particularly when it is not supported by ariy document or by any affidavit of the person who had done the job of explaining or translation.

We have pointed out in several cases that courts frown on detention without trial and insist on the strict compliance of the constitutional safeguards enshrined in Article 22(5) to the letter of the law, because a non-compliance of these safeguards would itself be sufficient to vitiate the order of detention. Despite our repeated observations, unfortunately, however the detaining authority continues to pass orders of detention in a casual or cavalier fashion with the result

that the courts are compelled to release the detenus.

We hope and trnst that in future the detaining authorities should fully apply their mind so as to result in a strict compliance of the constitutional safegnards contained in the Constitution, more particularly because th~ liberty of the subject is in peril.

llAZIA UMAR BAKSHI_v. UNION OF INDIA (Fazal Ali, !.) 1481

Another ground taken by Mr. Ram Jetbmalaiii in support of the rule is that although the detenu had made a specific prayer in Im

representation to the State Government that his representation should be fmwarded to the Central Government for consideration Uhder sectian 11 of the Act; yet the detaining authority did not choose to forward the representation to the Central Government at all.

This position is admitted and the defence taken is that as the detenu had himself sent a copy to the Central Government, the detaining authority did not think it necessary to forward the representation to the -central _Government.

This defence is wholly unacceptable.

Section 11 al. the Act confers a constitutional right on the detenu to have his

representation considered by the Ce'nfra!. Government. It is true that the Central Government has a discretion to revoke or confirm the

detention but the detenu has undoubtedly a right that his representation should be considered by the Central Government for whatever . worth it is.

The mere fact that the detenu had se'nt a copy to the Omtra1 Government does not absolve the detaining authority from the stamtory duty of forwarding the representation of the detenu to the Central Government.

For these reasons therefore I am satisfied that the continued detention of the dete'nu in this case is iegally invalid.

I therefore allow this application and direct that the detenu be released forthwith.

As the deten.u has now been transferred to Bhavnagar, the order be sent to the Jailor at Bhavnagar.

:S.R Petition allowed.

MGIPF-610SCl/80-2S00-18-3-8J ·