Allahabad High Court sits on Gandhi Jayanti to hear Habeas Corpus petition on missing soldier

A Division Bench of the Allahabad High Court sat on Gandhi Jayanti and passed orders in a case relating to a missing soldier, Rajat Singh. The order was passed in a letter petition treating the same as a writ of Habeas Corpus..A Bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Vivek Varma sought the response of Command Officer, Military Police, Bareilly to provide details with regard to the missing Sepoy..A letter addressed to the Chief Justice of the High Court by Updesh Singh, the father of the missing soldier was treated as a Habeas Corpus petition..As per the letter, Rajat Singh while serving 28 Punjab Regiment, Pithorgarh was illegally deputed with Colonel (Retd.) AK Dubey at Bareilly and has been missing since July 28, 2018..The letter avers that despite efforts, adequate steps have not been taken to locate the missing person. An FIR was registered in this regard on July 30, 2019 at Police Station Cantt (Bareilly) but no progress has taken place in the matter..When the matter was heard today, Additional Government Advocate Syed Ali Murtaza acquainted the Court of the steps taken by the Investigating Agency. It was stated that the Investigating Officer made a request to the Command Officer, Military Police, Police Station Cantt, Bareilly to instruct one Balwant Singh, a Lance Naik to report to the Police Station for interrogation but no response to the same was given..The Court proceeded to record the same and ordered the Command Officer, Military Police, Bareilly to provide details with regard to the missing Soldier..The matter will be heard next on October 14..[Read Order]