Balancing Security and Liberty: An Examination of Preventive Detention under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960
Keywords:
Preventive Detention, Right to Liberty, Public Order, Public safety, Balance, Doctrine of ProportionalityAbstract
This research paper examines the powers of preventive detention (PD) under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960 (PMPOO), which allows authorities to detain persons believed to be detrimental to public safety or the preservation of public order without prior criminal convictions. Whereas liberty is fundamental for a just society, similarly, protection and security for its citizens are equally indispensable. This paper explores how the PMPOO and judicial pronouncements under it has structured the preventive detention. It also explores the importance of liberty in a society. Liberty means being free to make choices and use natural rights. But it is not absolute; it needs to work with keeping society safe. Liberty is for law-abiding persons, not offenders. Developing societies always need security measures to protect liberty. PD is one of these measures. This paper examines the potential benefits of PD in safeguarding public safety while critically analyzing its potential dangers to liberty. It examines legal safeguards, the potential for misuse, and the ongoing discussion about PD in PMPOO. In the end, the paper aims to understand how to effectively structure this law to ensure both public security and the rights of citizens. Moreover, the paper also seeks to comprehend how to strike a balance between these two vital principles: maintenance of security and liberty for the citizens. In the end, this paper recommends that the application of the doctrine of balancing by public functionaries before the usage of powers of PD would be helpful to achieve the objective of PMPOO.
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