Illegible Docs Free 'Rowdy' Man from Goonda Act

The High Court has ordered the release of Dawood Nadaf, who self-identifies as a "stylish and khadak rowdy" on social media. The court quashed a preventive detention order issued under the Goonda Act, citing that a substantial 25% of the police-provided documents were unreadable. This illegibility prevented the detenue from comprehending the charges against him.

Nadaf's wife challenged the detention, arguing that authorities failed to provide clear, readable documents as per established High Court guidelines. The bench noted that the detention order was not even served directly to Nadaf. Furthermore, out of 17 cited cases, Nadaf had been acquitted in seven, with no prior convictions under the IPC or BNS.

The court emphasized that detaining authorities should focus on recent crimes to establish a "live link" and reduce the volume of documents, thereby minimizing the chances of furnishing illegible copies. The bench expressed disappointment that despite prior guidelines, authorities continue to supply unreadable documents, leading to repeated challenges in detention order cases.