KARACHI, March 11: A division bench of the High Court of Sindh issued on Tuesday contempt of court notices to the city nazim and other officials for March 26

The bench consisted of Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice S. Ali Aslam Jafri.

The notices came as the alleged contemnors violated the status quo granted by the bench on a petition filed by Ms Shireen Rasheed, owner of plot L-18, ST 12, sector 11-B, North Karachi, and the construction on the plot was demolished by officials of the City District Government Karachi.

Earlier, Manzoor Ahmed, counsel for the city government, gave an undertaking that he would personally serve the notices on the alleged contemnors. The bench also directed the petitioner to provide five copies of the contempt application to the counsel so that the same could be served upon the alleged contemnors.

The petitioner moved the court when her application for grant of lease was rejected and she was told that said ST was yet to auctioned by the KDA and no question of ownership of any piece of land arose.

The petitioner maintains that she bought the plot for Rs225,000 from its owner, Zille Haider, after due process, including verification/NOC from the office concerned of the city government. She applied for lease of the land.

She maintains that the KDA received fees and other dues after which the plot was transferred.

The petitioner prayed to the court to declare that she had not committed any fraud but was a legal buyer and also direct the respondents to regularize the allotment.

She also sought an order of restraint on which the court directed the parties to maintain status quo.

Officials of the city government, according to the petitioner, demolished the construction on the disputed plot, though an interim orders had been passed by the court. Then she filed the contempt of court application.detention case: A division bench of the Sindh High Court issued notices on Tuesday to the home secretary Sindh and the SHO Orangi Town police station for March 20 in a detention case under the MPO.

The bench comprised Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice Arif Khilji.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Zainab Bibi, who challenged the detention of her husband, Ismail.

The petitioner alleged that her husband was first detained illegally after the recovery of two drums of hydrogen peroxide. The police later related him to alleged terrorist Sharib of the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.

When the petition came up for hearing, counsel for the petitioner maintained that hydrogen peroxide was neither a contraband article nor an explosive. The police failed in connecting the detainee with any crime after which orders of detention under the Maintenance of Public Order were issued.

The counsel prayed to the court to declare the orders of detention mala fide and illegal and release the detainee forthwith.— APP