ORDER

S.P. Bharucha, J. - This is a very disturbing matter. It is an habeas corpus petition to secure the release of Sadhu Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Amanjit Singh, Hardev Sing, Davinder Singh, Sukhdev Singh and Sharanjit Singh. It is filed by Inder Singh, who is the son of Sadhu Singh, the brother of Gurdeep Singh, the father of Hardev Singh and the uncle of Amanjit Singh, Davinder Singh, Sukhdev Singh and Sharanjit Singh. Sadhu Singh is said to about 85 years old and Sukhdev Singh and Sharanjit Singh to be about 17 and 14 years old respectively.

2. It is the case of the petitioner that at or about 5.00 a.m. on 29th October, 1991, a police party under the command of Baldev Singh, D.S.P., who is the third respondent to the petition, came to his residence and directed that all those present be lined up in its courtyard. The third respondent then ordered that the 7 persons in respect of whom the petition is filed be taken into custody, The police party accompanying the third respondent, accordingly, took the said 7 persons into custody and placed them in a police van (No. PB-06-3100). The petitioner and his family were told that they would be given the dead bodies of the said 7 persons if