In Brief
Two women—a doctor pursuing higher studies in the USA and a 70-year-old practicing advocate—were arrested on fraud charges arising from a civil dispute over purchase of machinery. The arrest procedure was severely flawed: no notice under Section 41-A CrPC was issued, witnesses were not present, no proper arrest memo was prepared, and the older woman was transported in a train compartment without being produced before a local magistrate. The Supreme Court held that the arrest violated prescribed procedures and Articles 21, granted compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to each, and quashed the criminal proceedings, finding the underlying case to be purely civil in nature.
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