2017 Supreme(Chh) 56
IN THE HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH
Pritinker Diwakar and Sanjay K. Agrawal, JJ.
Smt. Nirmala Patel - Petitioner
Versus
The State of Chhattisgarh, through Secretary, Home Department and Ors. - Respondent
Writ Petition (Habeas Corpus) No. 13 of 2016
Decided On : 28-02-2017
For the Petitioner: Mr. Parag Kotecha
For the Respondents: Mr. Y.S. Thakur, Mr. B.D. Guru
Headnote:
Writ Petition - Habeas Corpus - Missing - Wrongful act - Sought registration of criminal case - Petitioner has filed this writ petition stating inter alia that she and her husband are residents of Village Police Station and her husband went missing, his whereabouts are unknown to her since that date and she has lodged report to official respondents but there is complete inaction and indifferent attitude on part of State and its authorities who have not taken any steps to find out her missing husband and she apprehends that respondents had taken away her husband and had done some wrongful act with him, as they used to harass her and her husband - It has been further pleaded that respondents have encroached upon petitioners land and started construction over it and they are very politically influential persons and had also withdrawn all relations with petitioner and her husband at village level - Petitioner further apprehends that respondents have murdered her husband and police has only registered missing report and therefore appropriate writ of Habeas Corpus be issued by directing respondents to produce Ramadheen before this Court and also sought registration of criminal case against respondents - Held, Applying principle of law laid down by Their Lordships of Supreme Court in aforesaid cases, qua writ of habeas corpus, to factual matrix of present case, it is quite vivid that petitioner has not made any averment in entire writ petition that her husband has been illegally detained either by official respondents or by private respondents, as writ petition is blissfully silent in this regard - Reading averments in writ petition as a whole, it does not disclose illegal detention by private or official respondents - Writ petitioner only apprehends that as relations of her and her husband with respondents are not good, therefore, they might have murdered her husband as such unlawful detention of petitioners husband either by private person and custody/control/detention by private respondents is not pleaded, established or urged before this Court, only apprehension of criminal act by respondents No.6 to 13 has been expressed - As already held in above-stated paragraphs, a writ of habeas corpus is not to be issued as a matter of course and clear grounds must be made out for issuance of a writ of habeas corpus - Writ petition dismissed.
Sanjay K Agrawal, J.
Habeas corpus "ad subjiciendum" means "that you have the body to submit or answer" which is called as Festinum Remedium - A speedy remedy, which has been sought by the petitioner in this instant case. The aforesaid writ of Habeas Corpus has been sought by the petitioner on the following factual backdrop: -
2. The petitioner has filed this writ petition stating inter alia that she and her husband are residents of Village Tilaervar, Police Station Dongargaon, Distt. Rajnandgaon and her husband went missing since 15-1-2016, his whereabouts are unknown to her since that date and she has lodged report to the official respondents but there is complete inaction and indifferent attitude on the part of the State and its authorities who have not taken any steps to find out her missing husband and she apprehends that respondents No.6 to 13 had taken away her husband and had done some wrongful act with him, as they used to harass her and her husband. It has been further pleaded that respondents No.6 to 13 have encroached upon the petitioner's land and started construction over it and they are very politically influential persons and had also withdrawn all the relations with the petitioner and her husband at village level. The petitioner further apprehends that respondents No.6 to 13 have murdered her husband Ramadheen and the police has only registered missing report and therefore appropriate writ of Habeas Corpus be issued by directing respondents No.1 to 5 to produce Ramadheen before this Court and also sought registration of criminal case against respondents No.6 to 13.
3. On being noticed, the State and its authorities have filed their return clearly stating inter alia that the petitioner and her husband have encroached upon the Government land on which a community hall has to be constructed by the Gram Panchayat but that could not be constructed on account of dispute being raised by the petitioner and her husband. Police Station Dongargaon has filed as many as three istegashas against the petitioner and her husband. Sarpanch of Village Tilaervar - respondent No.6 has also registered cognisable case against the petitioner and her husband on 11-6-2015 under Sections 294, 506 and 323 read with Section 34 of the IPC. A case under Sections 107 and 116 of the CrPC has also been registered vide Annexure R-6. It has been said that there is no violation of any fundamental right of the petitioner as alleged by her in the petition, rather the petitioner and her husband are rank encroachers upon the Government land and the petitioner has also filed complaint case before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Rajnandgaon in which the Judicial Magistrate has directed for enquiry by order dated 17-9-2015 and enquiry report has also been submitted to the Judicial Magistrate which has been filed along with the return.
4. The private respondents have also filed their return and made averments in line with the return filed by the State Government.
5. Mr. Parag Kotecha, learned counsel appearing for the petitioner, would submit that respondents No.6 to 13 are very influential persons and they have encroached upon the Government land. He would further submit that the petitioner's husband is missing since 15-1-2016 and police has not taken any action except registering a missing report and as such, appropriate writ of Habeas Corpus be issued directing respondents No.1 to 5 to produce petitioner's missing husband Ramadheen.
6. Mr. Y.S. Thakur, learned Additional Advocate General appearing on behalf of the State/respondents No.1 to 5, would submit that it is not the case of the petitioner that Ramadheen, the missing person, has been unauthorisedly detained either by the official respondents or by respondents No.6 to 13 or he has been detained otherwise except in accordance with law by the State authorities and therefore no writ of Habeas Corpus can be issued and the writ petition is liable to be dismissed.
7. Argument in similar line has