The Delhi High Court on Sunday directed the Delhi Police to explain within a week the circumstances and legal authority under which several labour and student activists were detained.

A Division Bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja also directed the police to preserve the CCTV footage of the locations from where the students were allegedly picked up.

The Court also added that it will hear tomorrow (March 16) the habeas corpus petition related to a student named Rudra, who is stated to be still missing,

The police must find out about his whereabouts, the Bench ordered.

Additional Standing Counsel Sanjeev Bhandari appeared for the Delhi Police and told the Court that all the accused have been released and that they were detained after a first information report (FIR) was registered.

He also opposed the petitioners' submission that a copy of the FIR must be given to them.

"The FIR copy is confidential. We will present it before the Court," he added.

The Court was hearing habeas corpus petitions filed by the kin of three activists who were detained by the police.

Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves appeared for one of the petitioners and told the Court that one student named Rudra is still under detention.

He added that students released have informed the lawyers that they were taken to unknown locations without being produced before any court.

Advocate Shahrukh Alam, also appearing for one of the petitioners, alleged that the activists were picked up by policemen in plain clothes and subjected to abuse, violence and torture.

She added that this is the second time this has happened and that students are being threatened to withdraw the petitions.

After hearing the case, the Bench issued notice to the Police.

"We are informed that as far as the missing persons alleged to have been illegally detained, they have since been released. The respondent shall file an affidavit explaining the circumstances and the authority of the law by which they were detained within a week from today," the Court ordered.

It said that the matter will be heard next on March 27.

The Bench added that the case related to Rudra will be heard on Monday.

It added that if students are required to participate in any investigation, they must do so.