Bombay High Court: The present writ petition was filed by petitioner praying for issuance of writ of Habeas Corpus or any other order or direction, seeking his release, stating that he was illegally detained and also sought directions for quashing and setting aside of remand orders dated 15-08-2024 and 17-08-2024, as his arrest was not in accordance with law. The Division Judge Bench of Bharati Dangre* and Manjusha Deshpande, JJ., held that petitioner’s custody based on a Look Out Circular, right from his interception at 10:00 pm on 13-08-2024, at Ahmedabad Airport, amounted to his arrest, which, being non-compliant with the constitutional safeguards guaranteed under Articles 22(1) and 22(2) of the Constitution and Section 501 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (‘CrPC’), made his arrest illegal being violative of his fundamental rights. Thus, the Court declared the arrest and subsequent remand orders as illegal.
Background
Petitioner was flying to Ahmedabad, Gujarat from Singapore on 13-08-2024 and in Ahmedabad, he was detained by the Immigration officers based on a Look Out Circular (‘LOC’) issued at insistence of Respondent 1. On 13-08-2024, he was transferred to the custody of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (‘SVPI’) Airport police station and on 14-08-2024, he was detained in the police lock-up at Airport police station at Ahmedabad. Thereafter, petitioner was brought to Mumbai and was arrested on 14-08-2024 by Azad Maidan police station. On 15-08-2024, petitioner was produced before the Vacation Court, that is, 37th Metropolitan Magistrate and respondent sought remand of five days. The Magistrate authorized remand of petitioner to two days police custody, till 17-08-2024 and on the request of the Azad Maidan police station, the remand was granted until 21-08-2024.
Counsel for petitioner submitted that by not producing petitioner before the nearest Magistrate within 24 hours of his arrest, his right guaranteed under Article 22(2) of the Constitution was violated. It was also submitted that the arrest was illegal since the grounds of arrest were not communicated to him, which was a mandate as prescribed in Article 22(1) of the Constitution and as per Section 50 of CrPC, it was imperative for every police officer or any person exercising the power of arrest, without warrant to forthwith communicate the full particulars of the offence for which he was arrested or other grounds of arrest.
Senior Counsel for petitioner stated that the offence registered against petitioner was under Section 4202 read with Section 343 of Penal Code, 1860, both offences being cognizable and punishable up to maximum of 7 years of imprisonment and the FIR was registered almost four years back and respondent had not taken efforts to contact him who was declared absconding and resulted in issuance of LOC and petitioner was a resident of Singapore and was not even aware that an FIR was registered against him.
Analysis, Law, and Decision
The Court relied on Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar, (2008) 3 SCC 222 and opined that Article 21 of the Constitution clearly mandated that no person shall be deprived of his life and liberty except in accordance in law.
The Court stated that the moment petitioner was intercepted by the Immigration officers around 10:00 pm, on 13-08-2024, allegedly based on a Look Out Circular, he was deprived of his liberty and he ceased to be free. Thereafter, he was sent to the custody of SVPI Airport Police station, where he was detained until 1:00 pm on 14-08-2024, and therefore, his custody after almost 15 hours was handed over to Azad Maidan Police Station, but his production before the Magistrate was only after he was brought to Mumbai on 14-08-2024, at 7:00 pm.
The Court noted that the police inspector, Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai, affirmed on affidavit and provided the details of the complaint lodged by Sharadkumar Kejariwal on behalf of A.P. Trading, alleging that petitioner was the owner of PT Sinar Laut Biru Logam Perkasa Jaya in Jakarta and that pursuant to the agreements entered between the parties, an offence was committed and the complainant was cheated of Rs 3,50,00,000, which resulted in registration of a case by invoking Section 420 r/w 34 of IPC. As petitioner was not traced during investigation, case was classified as ‘A’ summary by the Metropolitan Magistrate on 16-07-2020. The Court further took note of the fact that the deponent of the affidavit stated that in connection with the said case, petitioner was arrested, on 14-08-2024, and produced before the Additional CJM, 37 Court Esplanades, Mumbai on 15-08-2024, when he was granted police custody till 24-08-2024, and thereafter he was remanded to judicial custody.
The Court observed that the affidavit justified the arrest stating that it was based on a valid Look Out Notice issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bureau of Immigration and after intercepting him at the Ahmedabad Airport, by the Immigration Department, his identity was verified through his passport and travel documents, and therefore, the ‘A’ summary due to inability to trace petitioner was reopened. The Court noted that petitioner was informed of the grounds of arrests in writing and his signature was obtained and an entry to that effect was taken in a station diary.
The Court opined that the investigating officer’s intention was clear as he deposed that ‘petitioner was detained as per the Look Out Notice and that from 13-08-2024, at 22:00 pm until the custody was received by Azad Maidan Police Station on 14-08-2024, the procedure was part of the arrest process’.
The Court opined that the process adopted by respondent clearly falls foul of Section 574 of CrPC, which had prescribed that no police officer shall detain in custody a person arrested without warrant for a period more than 24 hours. The Court observed that petitioner was detained for almost 30 hours till his production before the Magistrate concerned and thus, the production of petitioner before the Magistrate after 24 hours was in the teeth of Section 57 of CrPC, which clearly amounted to violation of the fundamental right of petitioner guaranteed under Article 22(2) of the Constitution.
The Court rejected the contention that petitioner was not arrested, but he was in formal custody as he was put behind lockup, as there was no place to keep him way.
The Court opined that when repeatedly asked whether petitioner was served with the grounds of arrest in writing, but not a single document to that effect was placed before this Court, which would have persuaded this Court to repele petitioner’s contention that the arrest was in flagrant violation of Section 50 of CrPC and Article 22(1) of the Constitution. The Court stated that the remand application contains the reasons for his arrest, which could not be equated with the ‘grounds of arrest’.
The Court held that petitioner’s custody right from his interception at 10:00 pm on 13-08-2024, at Ahmedabad Airport, amounted to his arrest, which, being non-compliant with the constitutional safeguards guaranteed under Articles 22(1) and 22(2) of the Constitution and Section 50 of CrPC, making his arrest illegal being violative of his fundamental rights. Thus, the Court declared the arrest and subsequent remand orders as illegal; refused to grant stay of the investigation but directed petitioner’s release from custody.
[Hem Prabhakar Shah v. State of Maharashtra, 2024 SCC OnLine Bom 3006, decided on 05-09-2024]
*Judgment authored by: Justice Bharati Dangre
Advocates who appeared in this case :
For the Petitioner: Aabad Ponda, Senior Advocate with Kushal Mor, Manavendra Mishra, Akhilesh Singh, Adithi Rao, Marmik Shah, Tanmay K. i/b Khaitan & Co.
For the Respondent: J.P. Yagnik, APP.
Buy Constitution of India HERE
Buy Penal Code, 1860 HERE
1. Section 47 of the Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (‘BNSS, 2023’)
2. Section 318(4) of the Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (‘BNS, 2023’)
3. Section 3(5) of the BNS, 2023
4. Section 58 of BNSS, 2023