STATE OF GUJARAT Vs. MOHAMMAD ISMAIL JUMMA
LAWS(SC)-1981-10-22
SUPREME COURT OF INDIA (FROM: GUJARAT)
Decided on October 23,1981

STATE OF GUJARAT Appellant
VERSUS
MOHD ISMAIL JUMMA Respondents

JUDGEMENT

Baharul Islam, J. - (1.) This appeal by special leave is by the State of Gujarat and is directed against the judgment and order of the Gujarat High Court quashing the order of detention passed by the appellant against respondent, Ismail Juma. The respondent was detained by the appellant in exercise of powers conferred on it by sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (hereinafter called 'the Act'). The grounds of detention inter alia were that the respondent, Hasan Malabari and Abdul Latif Fakirmohmed were the members of the crew of a vessel that was engaged in smuggling of wristwatches and some other contraband articles worth Rs. 33,70,819.00. The respondent moved the High Court of Gujarat. A Division Bench of the High Court by its impugned order dated Jan. 16, 1980 quashed the order of detention. The High Court found:"...............the order of detention made against him (detenu) clearly shows that the detaining authority had not applied his mind to the facts of the case ............ The impugned order nowhere states that the detaining authority on having received a proposal from the customs authorities, had applied his mind to all materials on record and had reached satisfaction that the facts of the case warranted the detention of the petitioner. In absence of anything to show that the detaining authority was satisfied with the material on record so as to enable him to detain the petitioner, the impugned order cannot be sustained. It suffers from a fatal infirmity."
(2.) The impugned order of the High Court is liable to be set aside as factually the above observations are incorrect. Presumably the attention of the High Court was drawn only to the order of the appellant made under S. 5 of the Act by which the Government directed the detenu to be detained in Ahmedabad Central Prison. This order was dated Aug. 1, 1979 (Annexure 'B'). There was another order of the same date passed under sub-sec. (1) of S. 3 of the Act which in fact was the order of detention which ran as follows:- "Whereas the Government of Gujarat is satisfied with respect to the person known as Shri Ismail Jumma Tangan alias Bando residung at Balapar, Beyt (Okha), Distt. Jamnagar that, with a view to preventing him from smuggling goods, it is necessary so to do; Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974, the Government of Gujarat hereby directs that the said Shri Ismail Jumma Tangan alias Bando be detained. By order and in the name of the Governor of Gujarat. Sd/- P. M. Shah Deputy Secretary to the Government (Annexure 'A')"
(3.) Both these orders were taken in the name of the Governor of Gujarat and were authenticated by Shri P. M. Shah, Deputy Secretary to Government of Gujarat, Home Department (Special). These two orders were accompanied by the grounds of detention, which have been filed before us as Annexure 'C'. Annexure 'C' is also dated Aug. 1, 1979 and was taken in the name of the Governor of Gujarat, and authenticated by the same Deputy Secretary to the Government of Gujarat, Shri Shah.;


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