RAS question
The writ of 'Habeas Corpus' is issued to:
Correct answer: (C) Produce a person who has been detained before the court to examine the legality of detention.
Habeas corpus is issued to produce a detained person before a court so the court can examine the legality of the detention and order release if it is unlawful.
Explanation
Habeas corpus literally means having the body produced before the court, but its real constitutional role is sharper: it is a quick judicial check on unlawful restraint. The cited Supreme Court judgment describes it as an effective method for securing the release of a detained person and explains that the person holding custody may be required to bring the detainee before the court. Production is not a formality; it allows the court to inquire into the circumstances and legality of detention. If the detention is unlawful, release follows. That is why option C captures the writ precisely: the focus is on personal liberty against illegal or arbitrary detention, not on making officials perform duties or supervising lower courts.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) This concerns compelling a public official to perform a neglected duty, whereas habeas corpus is aimed at producing a detained person and testing whether the detention is lawful.
- (B) This concerns stopping a lower court from going beyond its jurisdiction, while habeas corpus deals with unlawful detention or custody of a person.
- (D) This concerns questioning the authority by which someone holds public office, but habeas corpus asks whether a person's detention is legally justified.
Concept
This tests the constitutional writs under remedies for protection of rights. It recurs in RAS because habeas corpus is the clearest writ linked to personal liberty and illegal detention.