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SHRIMATI VIDYA VERMA, THROUGH NEXT FRIEND R>V>S MANI versus DR. SHIV NARAIN VERMA.

Citation: [1955] 2 S.C.R. 983 · Decided: 11-11-1955 · Supreme Court of India · Bench: SUDHI RANJAN DAS · Disposal: Dismissed

Cited by 2 judgment(s) · see the full citation network in Lexace

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Judgment (excerpt)

2S.C.R. 
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
983 
ment before us that those rights are sought to be 
agitated. Under the 
circumstances, we must decline 
to consider them. It will be suflicient if we observe 
that the rights of the appellants, if any, other than 
those arising out of the lease, are left open to the 
determinati9n 
of 
the 
appropriate 
authorities, and 
that nothing in our decision should be taken as a 
pronouncement on those rights. 
In the result, the 
ap~al fails and is dismissed with 
costs. 
SHRIMATI VIDYA VERMA, THROUGH NEXT 
FRIEND R. V. S. MANI 
v. 
DR. SHIV NARAIN VERMA. 
[S. R. DAs, VIVIAN BosE, BHAGWATI. fAGANNADHAยท 
oAs and B. P. SINHA JJ.l 
Fundamental Ri[!ht, Infringement of-Detention by private per-
son-ls.iue of writ-Power of Supreme Court-Constitution of [ndia, 
Arts. 21, 3:t. 
No question of infringement of any fundamental 
right under 
Art. 21 arises where the detention complained of is by a private per-
>On and not by a State or under the authority or orders of a State. 
and the Supreme Court will not, therefore, entertain an application 
for a writ of habeas corpus, under Art. 32 of the Constitution. 
Consequently a petition under Art. 32 of the Constitution for a 
writ of habeas corpus founded on 
Art. 21 and directed against a 
father for alleged detention of his daughter does not lie. 
A. K. Gopalan v. The State of Madras ([1950] S.C.R. 88) and 
P. D. Shamdasani v. Central Bank. of India ([1952] S.C.R. 391), re-
lied on. 
ORIGINAL 
JuR1so1cT10N : Petition 
No. 
262 of 1955. 
Under Article 32 of the Constitution for a Writ 
in the nature of Habeds Corpus. 
R. V. S. Mani. the next friend, in person. 
M. C. Setal.vad, Attorney-General for India (G. N. 
Joshi and Porus A. Mehta, with him). 
N aunit Lal, for the respondent. 
1955 
Raj Bahadur 
Kanwar Raj .Nath 
and 0th.rs 
v. 
Pramod C. Bhatt., 
Custodian of 
Evacuee Properey 
Venkatarama 
Ayyar ]. 
1955 
.November 11 
1955 
Shrimati Vi<lya 
V mna, through 
Lnext friend 
R., V. S. Mani 
v. 
Dr. Shiv Narain 
Verma 
984 
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
[1955] 
1955. November 11. The Judgment of the Court 
was delivered by 
BosE J .-This is a petition under article 32 of the 
Constitution for a writ of habeas corpus. The peti-
tion was presented by Mr. R. V. S. Mani, an advocate 
of the Nagpur High Court, on behalf of Shrimati 
Vidya Verma and was directed against her father Dr. 
Shiv Narayaq Verma of Nagpur. 
Mr. Mani had no power of attorney from the lady 
and when the office pointed out that he could not 
present 
a petition without 
producing 
the 
necessary 
authority he amended the petition and described him-
self as the next friend of the lady. 
When the matter first came up for hearing we 
directed a notice 
to issue to the father but later the 
same day it was brought to our notice that the op-
posite party was not either the Union of India or a 
State, nor wa~ it some official acting under the orders 
of one or the other, but a private person. The ques-
tion therefore arose of our power under article 32 to 
issue a writ of. this kind against a private party. Ac-
. cordingly, before the notice was sent out we recalled 
it and set the matter down for further hearing. 
Mr. Mani appeared again on the appointed date and 
was robed as he had been on the 
previous occasion. 
He was asked to clarify his position and when he said 
he had no power of attorney and explained that he 
was appearing in a private capacity as next friend he 
was told that at the next hearing he must address the 
Court without his robes. 
He was 
also warned that 
if he lost he might have to bear the costs of the other 
side 
personally. 
After hearing Mr. Mani for a 
time 
we decided to fix a date for the hearing of a prelimi-
nary question only, 
namely, 
whether a fundamental 
right is involved when the detention complained of is 
by a private person and not by a State or under the 
authority or orders 
of a 
State. We directed that 
notices be issued to the .opposite party as well as to 
the Attorney-General of India. 
At the adjourned hearing Mr. Mani appe;ired in per-
son, unrobed as directed, but with the advocate on 
2 S.C.R. 
SUPREME COURT REPORTS 
985 
record sitting by his side. He asked 
for permission 
to address us himself. We declined to hear him un-
less he 
discharged 
the advocate on record. He did 
that on the spot and then proceeded to address us in 
person. 
As the question that arises here has been discussed 
at length in two earlier decisions of 
this 
Cour

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