S. Prasad Reddy And Ors. vs Collector And District Magistrate And ... on 24 November, 2004
(2) SCC 576), Rashidmiya v. Police Commissioner , and Piyush Kantilal Mehta v. Commissioner of Police (1989 Supp. (1) SCC 322) cases, but went further to adversely affect the even tempo of the Society by creating a feeling of insecurity among those who were likely to depose against him as also the law enforcement agencies. The fear psychosis created by the detenu in the witnesses was aimed at letting the crime go unpunished which has the potential of the society, and not merely some individual, to suffer. The activities of the detenu, therefore, squarely fall within the deeming provision enacted in the Explanation of Section 2(a) of the Act, and it therefore follows as a logical consequence that the activities of the detenu were not merely prejudicial to the maintenance of 'law and order' but were prejudicial to the maintenance of 'public order'. In that case, the Supreme Court also gave the following test to find out whether the objectionable activities upon which the order of detention was grounded fell under the classification of being prejudicial to 'public order' or belonged to the category of being prejudicial only to 'law and order'.