In Brief
The State of Madhya Pradesh challenged a High Court judgment that set aside an externment order passed by an Additional District Magistrate under the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Suraksha Adhiniyam, 1990. The High Court had held that only a District Magistrate could issue such orders. The Supreme Court reversed this, holding that the Adhiniyam explicitly permits the State Government to delegate powers to lower-ranking officers under Sections 13 and 18. The Court distinguished the case from Ajaib Singh v. Gurbachan Singh, which involved a different statute (Defence of India Act, 1962) with express restrictions on delegation. The Court held that the Adhiniyam's statutory scheme clearly contemplates exercise of powers by Additional District Magistrates or Sub-Divisional Magistrates and allowed the appeals.
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