PRAYAGRAJ, Oct. 7 -- The Allahabad high court has held that a subsequent formal arrest and remand cannot legitimise an earlier illegal detention, applying the US legal doctrine of "fruit of the poisonous tree" to constitutional safeguards under Articles 21 and 22.

The court ordered the release of Prayagraj resident Ravi Chaurasiya, who was kept in police custody for nearly 31 hours before being formally arrested, and awarded him Rs.30,000 compensation to be recovered from those responsible for his illegal detention.

A division bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev passed the order while allowing a habeas corpus petition filed by Chaurasiya. The court also directed the Prayagraj commissioner to conduct an inquiry and...