The main legal point established is the duty of the police to diligently and effectively carry out court orders for the recovery of missing persons.

A lady had eloped with respondent Nos. 1 and 2. The FIR about the same was lodged by, petitioner Pramod Kumar on 22. 11. 2004 at P. S. Kotwali, District Auraiya but the lady has not yet been recovered and her brother has come to this Court with the Habeas Corpus Petition for direction to the Police to re cover his sister.

2. Heard Sri Kailash Nath Kesar-wani, Advocate for the petitioner and Sri N. D. Rai, Additional Government Advo cate for the State.

3. The petition came up earlier be fore Honble Mr. Justice Vinod Prasad, who passed the following order on 20. 11. 2006 :

"affidavit of the Superintendent of Po lice, Auraiya who has been filed today by learned Government Ad vocate, is taken on record. S. P. Auraiya is personally present in this Court. He assures the Court that he is making all efforts to trace out the girl. He further submitted that respondent No. 1 Rajesh Joshi is already married. He has got four children. Petitioner No. 2 Kumari Dolly is eloping with him. The S. P. Auraiya is directed to trace them out and arrest them by making all possible efforts. As soon as they are arrested, S. P. Auraiya is directed to get them on remand and produce them before this Court within twenty-four hours. As soon as the aforesaid persons are arrested, S. P. Auraiya will intimate this Court through fax. As soon as the inti mation is received, Registrar of this Court will place this case as an un listed case before the appropriate Bench on the following day on which date the aforesaid two per sons will be produced before this Court under custody.

List this case before the appropriate Bench on 4th January, 2007. S. P. Auraiya need not be present on the next date unless and until specifi cally ordered by this Court.

Sd Justice Vinod Prasad 20. 11. 2006"

4. Subsequently, it came thrice be fore Honble Mr. Justice V. K. Chaturvedi, who passed the following order on 12. 4. 2007:

"heard Sri K. N. Kesarwani, Counsel for the petitioner, Sri G. P. Dixit, Counsel for the respondents Nos. 2, 4 and 5 and A. G. A.

Earlier process under sections 82, 83, Cr. P. C. have already been issued against the respondent No. 1, Ra jesh Joshi.

On 20. 11. 2006, S. P. Auraiya was pres ent in Court. He assured the Court that he is making efforts to trace out the girl. The petitioner No. 2, Km. Dolly is eloping with him. S. P. Auraiya was directed to trace them out and arrest them by making all possible efforts. As soon as they are arrested, S. P Auraiya was directed to get them on remand and pro duce them before this Court within twenty four hours, in spite of this order, no progress report was filed by S. P. Auraiya.

Inspite of assurance given by S. P. Auraiya, Rajesh Joshi, respondent No. 1 has not yet been arrested and Km. Dolly, the corpus, who is with him, has not been recovered. S. P. Auraiya is hereby directed to be present in person on 2nd May, 2007 and will make all possible ef forts to trace out the corpus and will produce him before this Court. Let a copy of this order be issued to A. G. A.

Sd Justice V. K. Chaturvedi

12. 4. 2007".

On 2. 5. 2007

"one counter affidavit filed by Surya Kant Dwivedi the Investigation Officer and another counter- affidavit filed by Surya Nath Singh, Superintendent of Police, Auraiya, are taken on record. The Investigation Officer and the Su perintendent of Police, Auraiya are present in Court.

The Superintendent of Police states that he is trying his best to recover the corpus Dolly but whereabouts of Rajesh Joshi are not known. He further stated that he has not sent the photograph of Rajesh Joshi for telecasting in the daily news chan nel about the missing of Rajesh Joshi. He also states that a two team has been constituted and as soon as Dolly is traced-out, she will be produced before this Court for which he prays for and is granted four weeks more time. "

5. List this case again on 24th May, 2007. In the meantime, Superintendent of Police is hereby directed to do his best to recover the corpus, Dolly and w