KARACHI, Jan 14: The Sindh High granted on Monday bail in the sum of Rs200,000 to sub-inspector Javed Anjum who was allegedly involved in the custodial death of an activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Faseeh alias Jugnu, in Karachi in 1998.

A bench comprising Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed passed the order on grounds of statuary delay of trial.

On October 21, 1998, the CIA police arrested Faseeh Jugnu for his alleged involvement in the murder of Hakim Saeed in Gulzar-i-Hijri area.

Later, he was killed in CIA custody on October 22, 1998, and police in their report showed heart failure as cause of death, but the body bore many torture marks.

A division bench of the SHC, comprising Justice Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Justice Ataur Rahman, granted bail in the sum of Rs200,000 to accused Zeeshan Raza who was booked for encashing a forged cheque.

The applicant’s counsel submitted that his client was falsely implicated in this case. Since the cheque in question was a bearer cheque, his client did not attempt to get the cheque encashed, but instead he deposited it in his account, which showed his bona fide. He contended that his client ha been under custody for the past eight months.

AAG Sindh Habib Ahmed conceded the arguments of the applicant’s counsel and did not oppose the bail application.

The applicant filed the bail plea with SHC as the trial court, Special Court (Offence in Banks) Karachi on Dec 12 had rejected his application.

According to the prosecution, on May 12, 2001, complainant Afzal Ahmed, manager of Muslim Commercial Bank, Gulberg branch, Karachi, lodged an FIR at Samanabad police station that on May 10, 2001, accused Zeeshan Raza deposited cheque No 22670 for Rs275,000 in his account. Later, upon verification the cheque was found to be forged. Police arrested the accused and submitted his challan in the Banking Court Karachi.

Another bench of the SHC, comprising Chief Justice Sayed Saeed Ashhad, granted pre-arrest bail in the sum of Rs100,000 to a contractor of the defunct KMC, Syed Abdul Maroof.

The court granted interim bail till Jan 28, and issued notice to the advocate-general Sindh for the same date.

According to the prosecution, in 1992 the accused supplied an ultrasound machine to the then ZMC-West for Rs690,000, though the actual cost of the machine was Rs160,000. KMC officials lodged an FIR with the Anti-corruption Establishment.

REMANDED: Justice Shabbir Ahmed of the Sindh High Court, who is also the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts at Karachi, remanded two accused, Mohammad Shaukat and Maroof Ali, allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a seven-year-old boy for ransom in police custody till Jan 19.