Baljinder Singh vs State Of Punjab And Others

Harnaresh Singh Gill, J

Case is taken up for hearing through video conferencing.

This petition has been filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India for issuance of a writ in the nature of Habeas Corpus directing official

respondents to get the dentenues, mentioned in para No. 4 of the petition, released from the illegal detention of private respondents.

Learned counsel for the petitioner has restricted his prayer to the extent that the present petition be disposed of with a direction to respondent No. 2 to

treat this petition as a complaint under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 and take immediate action in

accordance with law within a stipulated period.

A Division Bench of this Court in LPA No. 32 of 2013, titled 'Murti versus The State of Punjab and others', has held as under:

“It may be mentioned here that the allegations of the appellant in the writ petition are that the alleged detenues mentioned in para No.3

of the writ petition who are working as labourers at the brick kiln of respondent Nos. 4 & 5 are being kept as bonded labours. There can

indeed be no doubt that if a labourer has been detained as bonded labour, it amounts to an offence under Sections 16 & 17 of the Bonded

Labour (Abolition) Act, 1976. We, however, clarify that the aforesaid observation does not mean that the allegations levelled by the

appellant have been accepted. Suffice it to observe that under the Act, the District Magistrate is under statutory obligation to hold a fact

finding enquiry as and when a complaint alleging violation of the provisions of Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act, 1976 is received. Since the

appellant in the instant case has specifically averred that the persons mentioned in para No.3 of the writ petition have been detained as

bonded labourers, we allow this appeal and set-aside/modify the order dated 9.1.2013 passed by the learned Single Judge to the extent that

the petitioner's writ petition is disposed of with a direction to the District Magistrate, Sangrur, to treat this writ petition as a complaint under

the 1976 Act and take immediate action in accordance with law, within a period of one week from the date of receiving a certified copy of

this order alongwith a copy of the writ petition.â€​

Accordingly, this Criminal Writ Petition is disposed of with a direction to District Magistrate, Tarn Taran-respondent No. 2 to treat this petition as a

complaint under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 and take immediate action in accordance with law, within a period of one week

from the date of receipt of a certified copy of this order along with a copy of the writ petition.