LAHORE, Aug 24: Taking strong exception to the Manga Mandi police failure to obey its orders regarding production of a detainee, the Lahore High Court on Tuesday gave them 24 hours to implement the orders.

Justice Nasim Sabir directed the Manga Mandi and Mohlanwal police to produce the detenue, Mohammad Irfan, in court at 9am on Wednesday. The order was issued in response to a petition for habeas corpus filed by Mohammad Arif, the brother of the detenue, who claimed that the Manga Mandi police had detained Irfan illegally.

The police denied the allegation. Arif had filed the habeas corpus petition on Aug 16, a day after his brother, a landlord of Pattoki, went missing along with a jeep. The court appointed a bailiff on Aug 17, who reported the next day that he had found the jeep parked at the Manga Mandi police station but could not locate the detenue.

On a court query, the police submitted that there was neither any case against Irfan nor was he wanted in any criminal case in the past.