Goa, Nov. 7 -- In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of India on Thursday ruled that every arrested individual must be provided the grounds of arrest in writing and in a language they understand, regardless of the nature of the offence or the statute under which they are detained.

The ruling, seen as a major step toward strengthening constitutional safeguards for personal liberty, clarifies that failure to furnish the written grounds of arrest at the time of arrest will not automatically invalidate the arrest, provided the written grounds are supplied within a reasonable period - and in any case, at least two hours before the arrestee is produced before a magistrate for remand proceedings.

The verdict was delivered by a bench compri...