JUDGMENT

ORDER :—Smt. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay has petitioned to us under Art. 32 of the Constitution complaining against the detention of several children in the central jails at Ludhiana and Amritsar, consequent to their being rounded up in the recent army action within the precincts of the Golden Temple, Amritsar. It was stated that they were kept in the jails along with the convicts. We felt not a little perturbed, and we made an order on 28-8-1984 directing the District Judge of Ludhiana and Amritsar to personally visit the jails and to verify whether any children were detained in the jails and if so to forthwith take steps for their removal from the jails and further to arrange for their safe custody and well being. We also directed notice to be issued to the State of Punjab and gave a direction to State of Punjab to take steps to trace the parents or relatives of the children. Though this order was made on August 28, 1984 we have no response from the State of Punjab till today, that is September 21, 1984. They have not cared to file any statement or affidavit before us. The Superintendent of the Central Jail Ludhiana has filed an affidavit annexing a list of the children who