Naidu’s detention challenged

The detention of TD Naidu, chairman of DD Medical College and Hospital at Kunnavalam village, Tiruvallur district, has been challenged in the Madras High Court.

Naidu was detained under the Goondas Act by an order of the District Magistrate-cum-District Collector, Tiruvallur, on June 7 this year.

In her habeas corpus writ petition, Naidu’s wife Prabhavathi contended that the sponsoring authority had not placed all the documents before the detaining authority in the manner known to law. The order was not approved and confirmed in time. The papers were not forwarded to the Advisory Board in time as stipulated under the Goondas Act. Naidu’s representation had not been considered so far and, therefore, the detention order was liable to be set aside.Further, the detaining authority had failed to see that the offences committed by Naidu could be dealt with by the ordinary law. The order had been passed mechanically, petitioner contended.

A division bench of Justices V Dhanapalan and CT Selvam, before which the petition came up today, ordered notice returnable in four weeks.