ISLAMABAD The Supreme Court on Friday directed all provincial administrations to constitute committees and furnish detailed reports by March 11 regarding the police torture on citizens across the country. Taking suo moto notice of police torturing events in Punjab, a three-member bench of the apex court directed the Attorney General of Pakistan, Provincial Home Secretaries and Inspector Generals of Police to convene a meeting in their respective provinces and identify the incidents being reported in media. The Registrars of the high courts have also been directed to confirm from the magistrates hearing the cases of such police officials as to who ordered them to send these officials to the judicial lockup before investigating the matter by police. The court took the notice in regard with the police torture outside the Police Station Bhawana, Chiniot, three days back. The constituted committees would also inform the apex court regarding details of trial of police officials carried out in different court as per order of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. Incident threw off the mask of police officials who had violated the fundamental rights enshrined in Article 4, 9 and 14 of the Constitution, the court observed. The court also expressed concern over the Government of Punjab by observing that it seemed as the provincial executive was feeling satisfied just to register an FIR against alleged police officials. Torturing the accused persons publicly without caring the dignity of human beings and their fundamental rights, notwithstanding the fact whether they were accused of a crime or otherwise, is the clear-cut violation of the law in terms of Article 4 of the Constitution, the court observed. Media reports suggested as if there was no rule of law in some parts of the country rather it was law of jungle there, one of the judges in the courtroom remarked. Therefore, action against subordinate officials will not be sufficient unless the senior officers of the areas where such incident had taken place are booked because this was not the first incident where such highhandedness of police was reported, the court observed. The court remarked that it could not tolerate violation of constitutional provisions at any cost. Finally, the court also directed the officers concerned to submit their reply as early as possible so that the matter could be disposed of expeditiously. The Supreme Court on 11th of this month would now hear the case.