Petitioner Ankur Kumar filed a writ petition of Habeas corpus at the Allahabad High Court for being forcefully kept at a Rehab Centre. He has been kept there against his will for alleged alcoholism and wished to go back to his residence. The petitioner had been kept at the centre on the wishes of his mother and maternal uncle, among other family members.
The bench consisting of Justice JJ Munir held that if an alcoholic is not of unsound mind, no authority can force him to be kept at a rehab center, and doing so would result in illegal detention. The court held, “If a person is an alcoholic but otherwise of sound mind about there is no authority with any relative of his or Drug De-Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre to detain him in custody against his will and wish.”