KARACHI, March 12: The Sindh High Court issued notices to the owners of Tasman Spirit, the Karachi Port Trust, its official assignee and other opponents on Friday in an application seeking a restraint order
against further proceedings in respect of the sale of the oil tanker's wreckage.
A miscellaneous application moved by Syed Riazul Hasan in a pending suit instituted by the insurers of the oil tanker against its owner stated that the court had allowed the auction of the wreckage in November 2003 in consultation with its official assignee in order to safeguard the interests of the various parties and claimants involved. The application for the removal and disposal of the wreckage was moved by the KPT.
The owners, however, decided to go it alone and invited, received and accepted bids without any consultation with the court assignee. The KPT, which had been asked by the court to engage a salvage company and get the wreckage shifted for dismantling and auction, was also kept out of picture, the applicant alleged. In violation of the court order, it was further alleged, the sale proceeds were also not deposited with the official assignee.
The applicant requested the court to stay further proceedings in the matter and ensure that its order was complied with. Justice Mushir Alam, who heard the application, issued notices to the various parties for March 16.
According to a reference filed by the assignee earlier on March 9, the vessel owners did not consult him at all while commencing the auction process. The assignee was only informed by the owners' attorney on Feb 27 that the front portion of the tanker had been sold to SS Enterprises and delivered to a Gadani shipbreaker.
The attorney had informed the assignee on Feb 9 that the highest bid for the front portion amounting to Rs24.2 million was made by M/s Dewansons. The amount quoted by the successful bidder was not known to the assignee nor was he consulted at any stage of the auction.
FRESH VOTE: The Sindh High Court ordered on Friday a fresh vote in accordance with the rules to determine whether the nazim and the naib nazim of union council four (Metroville, Site Town) still carried the confidence of the house.
Sitting nazim Abdur Razzak and Naib Nazim M. Nawaz Abbasi submitted through Barrister Abid S. Zuberi that they were ousted by an irregular vote and the petition moved by two councillors for their removal was not competent. The respondent city government also submitted that it did not act on the vote because of irregularities reported by the UC secretary.
A division bench comprising Justices Shabbir Ahmed and Azizullah M. Memon directed that a new meeting to consider a fresh vote for 'internal recall' of the nazim and the deputy nazim should be convened within a week jointly by the sitting nazim and the nazir of the high court.
The single agenda meeting would first elect an officiating nazim. The nazim so elected would conduct the 'internal recall' proceedings. There would be separate ballots for the nazim and the naib nazim.
