In Latin, "Habeas Corpus" means "to have a body of." This writ is used to free someone who has been detained or held against their will. The Court instructs the person so detained to be brought before it so that it can assess the legality of his detention as a result of this writ. If the Court decides that the detention was improper, it orders the individual's immediate release.
The detention was not carried out in line with the established procedure. For instance, after being arrested, the person was not brought before a magistrate within 24 hours.