BHOPAL/JABALPUR: In back-to-back judgements in three cases registered in the state during the “drive against adulteration”, where National Security Act (NSA) was slapped on the accused, a division bench of the MP HC has not only quashed the preventive detention of the dairy owners, but also criticised the respective district magistrates for passing orders “in a mechanical manner, without application of mind”.

The verdicts were given recently. The cases were registered in Sehore, Raisen and Khandwa districts. During the antiadulteration drive, NSA had been imposed on the accused in 32 cases. In a case from Khandwa, where a dairy owner, Sudeep Jain, was detained under NSA only because the sample of ghee and mawa seized tested out to be substandard. The court termed it ludicrous and downright preposterous, a result of contorted reasoning. In a case from Raisen, where NSA was slapped on one Rajesh Gupta, the same bench observed, “In view of the circumstances, neither the district magistrate, Raisen, nor the state government has applied their mind at the time of passing of the orders and approval of the same.”