STATE OF T.N. vs KETHIYAN PERUMAL — Crl.A. No. 701/1999

Case Summary: State of T.N. v. Kethiyan Perumal (2004) The Supreme Court allowed the State's appeal and set aside the High Court's order quashing Kethiyan Perumal's detention under the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act, 1982. The Court found the High Court erred in concluding the Forest Officer's report lacked public order implications—it explicitly stated that illegal sandalwood felling threatened ecological systems and public order. The Court also held that even if extraneous grounds existed, Section 5A of the Act permits detention to stand on remaining valid grounds. The State was directed to decide within two months whether the detenu should serve remaining detention time. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.