India, Sept. 30 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the confession statement of an accused made before a police officer cannot be the basis for detaining him under the National Security Act (NSA).

The top court said preventive detention has always been regarded as an exceptional measure and, therefore, must be invoked with the utmost circumspection and only in those rarest of rare cases where the circumstances genuinely warrant such exercise.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu said a confessional statement made before the police is not regarded as trustworthy evidence and is generally excluded from consideration against the maker.

"We are of the considered opinion that a confessional statement made before a police...