Context: Punjab and Haryana High court ordered the police authorities to act swiftly in the Habeas Corpus cases because these cases involve the life and liberty of the detainees.

About Habeas Corpus

• A writ of habeas corpus (which literally means to ‘produce the body’) is a court order demanding that a public official (such as a warden) deliver an imprisoned individual to the court and show a valid reason for that person’s detention.
• The procedure provides a means for prison inmates, or others acting on their behalf, to dispute the legal basis for confinement. Habeas corpus has deep roots in English common law.