The Delhi High Court has observed that law must be adhered to strictly while making arrests or while undertaking any other procedure that compromises a citizen’s right to life and liberty, Live Law reported on Tuesday.

The court made the statement while hearing a petition by Cell Page Communication company that has challenged arrest warrants passed against its representatives by an additional district judge.

The company was earlier engaged in a suit proceeding against a person named Vijay Shankar Pandey. In response to the suit, a court had directed the company to pay Rs 25 lakh with simple interest of 9% from May 2014 till the filing of the suit and pending litigation.

The additional district judge had initially issued warrants to attach movable properties of Cell Page Communication representatives. However, the warrants were reportedly returned with a statement that “JD [judgement debtor] has left the given address”, according to Live Law. A judgement debtor is a person against whom an order to pay a sum of money has been obtained.

The judge issued arrest warrants on July 17, 2019. It said that the warrants should be executed on August 16, 2019. Subsequently, Cell Page Communication filed an application against the August 16, 2019 order. It contended that Pandey knew that the company had an alternative address in Gurugram.

Justice Shankar of the High Court held that no opportunity was given to Cell Page Communication to show why arrest warrants should not be passed against its representatives.

“The impugned order, therefore, also appears to have been passed under the mistaken premise that such an opportunity had been granted and the petitioner [the company] had not been able to satisfactorily show cause,” the High Court order said, according to Live Law.

The High Court quashed the arrest warrants and said that the additional district judge can proceed with the matter in accordance with the law.