JUDGMENT

Mrs. Sujata V. Manohar, J.-This is a public interest litigation in which the petitioner has prayed for certain reliefs to undertrial prisoners charged under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 (hereinafter referred to as TADA ). The petitioner has asked, inter alia, for a direction that the respondents should file a list of detenus lodged in jails in different States under TADA and has asked for a direction for the release of TADA detenus against whom proper evidence is not with the prosecution and where proper procedure prescribed under law is not followed.

2. Under orders passed from time to time in this petition the States of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra as well as the Central Government have filed affidavits giving information relating to the number  of cases under TADA pending in different Designated Courts in various States of the country. We have also been furnished with the statewise numbers of Designated Courts constituted under TADA. In the affidavit filed on behalf of the Union of India by Shri A. K. Shrivastava, Deputy Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Home