Which writ is issued by a court to secure the release of a person detained unlawfully and without authority of law, by ordering the detaining authority to produce the person before the court?

Habeas corpus, meaning 'produce the body', is a writ issued to secure the release of a person detained unlawfully or without authority of law. The court directs the detaining authority to produce the detenu and to justify the detention, and if no valid legal ground is shown, the person is released forthwith. It is available under Article 32 before the Supreme Court and under Article 226 before the High Courts, and it may be issued even against private persons detaining another without legal justification. Mandamus commands the performance of a public duty, Certiorari and Prohibition are directed against inferior courts and tribunals, and Quo warranto challenges a person's claim to a public office. Since the scenario involves unlawful detention, habeas corpus is the correct writ.