Ranjitham Vs Union Of India, Rep by — Writ and Judicial Review | Madras HC (2026)

Ranjitham Vs Union Of India, Rep by — Writ and Judicial Review | Madras HC (2026)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Investigation continued and expanded through a Special Team of six named GRP/police officers (Odisha and Chennai Central units) with liberty to co-opt GRP officers from Assam or other States; the habeas corpus petition was closed; the Special Team is to file a status report to be circulated in Chambers within a month assuming the detenu is not found in the meanwhile.

Issue for consideration

Whether the Court should direct the 4th respondent to trace the missing traveller Thiru.S.Balan, son of A.Sankaran, aged 70, who went missing after boarding trains from Howrah/Bhadrakh, and produce him before the Court to set him at liberty. +1 more

Ratio / Principle

To continue and expand the investigation, the Court directed that a Special Team be formulated comprising six named officers: (i) Tr.Suryanarayan Das, Deputy Superintendent of Police (SDRPO Cuttack Zone), (ii) Tr.Chittaranjan Das, Sub Inspector of Police (Bhadrak GRPS, Odisha), (iii) Tr.Priyabrata Malik, Assistant Sub Inspector of Police (Baleswar GRPS, Odisha), (iv) Tr.Sumanta Kumar Muduli, Constable-350 (GRPS Bhadrak, Odisha), (v) Tr.Manikandan, Grade I-311 (Chennai GRPS, Chennai Central RPS) and (vi) Tr.Elumalai, PC-172 (Chennai GRPS, Chennai Central RPS).

Key takeaways

By way of background, the Court recorded its understanding that there are two units within the Railway Police: the Railway Police Force (RPF) attending to the security of passengers and other persons in the train, and the Government Railway Police (GRP) as the investigating agency for crime/offences within the railway network across the country.obiter¶36
The Special Team is at liberty to co-opt any officer from the Government Railway Police in Assam or other States should it be necessary.ratio¶42
Since the investigation was handed over to the Special Team, the Court saw no necessity to keep the habeas corpus petition pending any longer and closed it.

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

High Court of Judicature at Madras (Double Bench; order authored by Dr.Anita Sumanth J., bench including Sunder Mohan J.; Neutral Citation 2026:MHC:3012; 21-07-2026) - HCP No. 731 of 2026, writ of habeas corpus under Article 226 of the Constitution of India. Ranjitham, wife of the detenu, sought an order directing the 4th respondent (DGP, Odisha) to trace and produce Thiru.S.Balan (70), who held a reserved ticket (PNR No.6464677990, seat CNF/M1/34/MB) on Chennai Mail No.12839 from Howrah (boarded Kolkata Howrah station 13.03.2026, 23.45 hrs), got down at Bhadrakh Railway Station for refreshment and mistakenly boarded Bagha Jatin Express No.18044 towards Howrah at 4.18 hrs on 14.03.2026. Recording the division of functions between the RPF (passenger security) and the GRP (investigating agency), and that R6 (GRP Cuttack) had investigated up to Howrah - where its jurisdiction ends - without success, with a suggestion that Assam officers be included, the Court constituted a six-member Special Team (Tr.Suryanarayan Das DSP, Tr.Chittaranjan Das SI, Tr.Priyabrata Malik ASI, Tr.Sumanta Kumar Muduli Constable-350, Tr.Manikandan Grade I-311, Tr.Elumalai PC-172 - drawn from SDRPO Cuttack Zone, Bhadrak/Baleswar GRPS Odisha and Chennai Central GRPS), permitted co-option of GRP officers from Assam or other States, directed a status report to be circulated in Chambers within a month if the detenu was not found, and closed the habeas corpus petition since investigation stood handed over to the Special Team.

2026:MHC:3012

HCP No. 731 of 2026

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS

DATED: 21-07-2026

CORAM

THE HON'BLE DR.JUSTICE ANITA SUMANTH

AND

THE HON'BLE MR.JUSTICE SUNDER MOHAN

HCP No. 731 of 2026

Ranjitham W/o.S.Balan, No.23, Kumaran Koil North Street, Kallidaikurichi, Tirunelveli - 627416.

..Petitioner(s)

Vs

Union Of India, Rep by Secretary to Ministry of Railways, New Delhi.

The Inspector General (Cum) Chief Security Commissioner, Railways Protection Force, Eastern Railways, 14, Strand Road, New Koilaghat Building (8th Floor), Eastern Railways, Kolkata - 7000001.

The Director General of Police, Bhabani Bhawan, 31, Belvedere Road, Alipore, Kolkata - 700027.

The Director General of Police (DGP), Odisha, Buxibazar, Cuttack - 753 001.

The Inspector of Police, GRP Bhadrakh Police Station, Bhadrak Railway Station, Charampa Road, Railway Housing, Bhadrak - 756101, Odisha.

The Inspector of Police, GRP Cuttack Police Station, Cuttack District, Odisha (Orissa), (on point of Jurisdiction).

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2026:MHC:3012

HCP No. 731 of 2026

The Inspector of Police, Government Railway Police (GRP)_Chennai Central, TamilNadu.

Sri Murugan Travels Rep by its Tour Manager Thiru.Paranjothi, No.10, Vadakkuavani Moola Veedhi, Madurai - 625 001.

..Respondent(s)

Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying to issue a Writ of Habeas Corpus or any other appropriate direction in the form of Writ directing the 4th respondent to trace the missing traveller by name Thiru.S.Balan Son of A.Sankaran aged 70 residing at No.23, Kumaran Koil North Street, Kallidaikurichi, Tirunelveli-627 416 having reserved Ticket from Howrah JN (HWH) to MGR Chennai Central Railway Station (MAS) in PNR No.6464677990, seat in CNF/M1/34/MB and boarded from Kolkata Howrah Railway Station in West Bengal in Chennai Mail No.12839 PNR No.6464677990 on 13.03.2026 23.45 hrs and get down in Bhadrakh Railway Station for refreshment and mistakenly boarded into Bagha Jatin Express No.18044 at 4.18 hrs on 14.03.2026 from Bhadrakh Railway Station heading towards Howrah Railway Station and produce him before this Court and set him at liberty.

For Petitioner(s): Mr.J.R.K.Bhavanantham

For Respondent(s): M/s.K.Ramanamoorthy, Senior Panel Counsel For R1, R2 & R7 Mr.C.R. Malarvannan, Counsel For Government Of Tamil Nadu (Criminal Side) For R3 To 6

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HCP No. 731 of 2026

Order

(Order of the Court was made by Dr.Anita Sumanth J.)

Read this order in continuation of and in conjunction with earlier orders.

R5 and R6 are present online.

We are given to understand that there are two units within the Railway

Police. One is Railway Police Force (RPF) which attends to the security of the passengers and other persons in the train and secondly, the Government Railway Police (GRP), which is an investigating agency to investigate into the crime / offences that takes place within network of railways, across the country.

R6 would submit that they have investigated upto Howrah, which is where their jurisdictions ends and they have not met with any success thus far. He also suggests that officers from Assam may be included in the investigation team as there is a possibility that the detenu may have taken a train to Assam.

Hence to continue the investigation and to expand the scope of the same, we would direct a Special Team to be formulated comprising : (i) Tr.Suryanarayan Das, Deputy Superintendent of Police, (SDRPO Cuttack Zone), (ii) Tr. Chittaranjan Das, Sub Inspector of Police, (Bhadrak GRPS, Odisha), (iii) Tr. Priyabrata Malik, Assistant Sub Inspector of Police (Baleswar GRPS, Odisha), (iv) Tr. Sumanta Kumar Muduli, Constable-350 (GRPS Bhadrak, Odisha), (v) Tr.Manikandan, Grade I-311, (Chennai GRPS, Chennai Central RPS) and (vi) Tr.Elumalai, PC – 172 (Chennai GRPS, Chennai Central

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HCP No. 731 of 2026

RPS). The team is at liberty to co-opt any officer from the Government Railway Police in Assam or other States should it be necessary.

Since investigation is now handed over to the Special Team, we do not

see the necessity to keep this habeas corpus petition pending any longer and we close the same.

A status report will be filed by the Special Team to be circulated in

Chambers within a month from today assuming that the detenu is not found in the meanwhile.

(A.S.M.,J.) (S.M.,J.) 21-07-2026

Index: Yes/No Speaking order Neutral Citation: Yes

SSM

To

The Secretary to Ministry of Railways, New Delhi.

The Inspector General (Cum) Chief Security Commissioner, Railways Protection Force, Eastern Railways, 14, Strand Road, New Koilaghat Building (8th Floor), Eastern Railways, Kolkata – 7000001.

The Director General of Police, Bhabani Bhawan, 31, Belvedere Road, Alipore, Kolkata - 700027.

The Director General of Police (DGP), Odisha, Buxibazar, Cuttack - 753 001.

5. The Inspector of Police,

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2026:MHC:3012

HCP No. 731 of 2026

GRP Bhadrakh Police Station, Bhadrak Railway Station, Charampa Road, Railway Housing, Bhadrak - 756101, Odisha.

The Inspector of Police, GRP Cuttack Police Station, Cuttack District, Odisha (Orissa), (on point of Jurisdiction).

The Inspector of Police, Government Railway Police (GRP)_Chennai Central, TamilNadu.

The Public Prosecutor, High Court, Madras.

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2026:MHC:3012

HCP No. 731 of 2026

DR.ANITA SUMANTH J. AND SUNDER MOHAN J.

SSM

HCP No. 731 of 2026

21-07-2026

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