ISLAMABAD, Aug 21: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Punjab police chief to personally investigate and report on booking a terrorism case instead of producing a detainee before the court who was already under police custody for the last two years without any charge.

“This is not the way of arresting people,” a three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi observed and directed the Punjab Inspector General Police Major (retd) Ziaul Hasan to personally conduct investigations into the matter and submit a detailed report before the court.

Hearing a petition regarding abuse of a high court bailiff, appointed to recover the detainee from illegal custody of Rawalpindi Civil Lines Police, the court declined a police request to dispose of the matter and adjourned the hearing till Sept 20. However, Nazir Ahmed has been allowed to approach the relevant court for bail.

The bench expressed its displeasure when it noted that instead of producing before the court the police implicated Nazir Ahmed, a suspect under police custody for allegedly supplying ammunition for an assassination plot on President Pervez Musharraf’s life, in a terrorism case.

“The inspector general should handle this case very carefully since the matter is very important,” the Chief Justice observed, adding nobody on earth would believe the police story.

“This person is being punished because he approached the court when prima facie it seems there is no case against him,” the Chief Justice deplored and admonished the police for misleading the highest court of the country.

Things should be done in a proper way but here cases are being handled in a way to malign the entire police department, the Chief Justice said.

“Keep this in your mind that we are not helpless and that this matter involves question of public liberty,” the Chief Justice observed.

On Monday, the Inspector General Punjab submitted a police report requesting to dispose of the instant matter since in compliance of the last orders a case had been registered under Section 344 against Superintendent Police Rawal Division Mohammad Maqsood Khan and Sohail Ehsan Inspector Station House Officer Police Station Civil Lines Rawalpindi for wrongfully confining Nazir Ahmed and obstructing a high court bailiff in the discharge of his duties.