Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974
Section 5A: Grounds of detention severable
Where a person has been detained in pursuance of an order of detention under sub-section (1) of section 3 which has been made on two or more grounds, such order of detention shall be deemed to have been made separately on each of such grounds and accordingly—
(a) such order shall not be deemed to be invalid or inoperative merely because one or some of the grounds is or are—
(i) vague,
(ii) non-existent,
(iii) not relevant,
(iv) not connected or not proximately connected with such person, or
(v) invalid for any other reason whatsoever,
and it is not, therefore, possible to hold that the Government or officer making such order would have been satisfied as provided in sub-section (1) of section 3 with reference to the remaining ground or grounds and made the order of detention;
(b) the Government or officer making the order of detention shall be deemed to have made the order of detention under the said sub-section (1) after being satisfied as provided in that sub-section with reference to the remaining ground or grounds.]
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 15 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 5A
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Jaseela Shaji v. The Union of India & Ors.
Issue arose as to whether the non-supply of the statement of the person stating about the detenu’s dealing in foreign exchange to the detenu, has affected the right of the detenu to make an effective representation…
- Union of India Through Joint Secretary (Cofeposa), Ministry of Finance, New Delhi v. Ankit Ashok Jalan
- Narender Kumar v. Union of India and Others
- Gautam Jain v. Union of India & Anr.
- State of U.P. and Anr. v. Sanjai Pratap Gupta@ Pappu and Ors.
- A. Sowkath Ali v. Union of India and Ors.
- Attorney General for India Etc. Etc. v. Amrratlal Prajivandas and Ors. Etc. Etc.
- Madan Lal Anand Etc. v. Union of India and Ors.