HYDERABAD, Dec 1: A bench of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad, on Wednesday issued contempt of court notices to two members of the Hyderabad District Council.

The notices were issued to the members for passing derogatory remarks relating the removal of encroachments in Mir Fateh Colony by the civil administration on a court order.

The court also issued bailable warrants against the SSP, railways, Dr Sain Rakhio Mirani, for disobeying a court order. The bench, comprising Justice Syed Zawar Hussain Jafri and Justice Azizullah Memon, took a serious notice of speeches by the members at a council session on Tuesday, press clippings of which along with a report were presented in the court by DCO Mohammad Hussain Syed.

Union council nazims Dr Ayaz Arain and Ali Nawaz Kutrio are required to appear in person in the court on Dec 3. The DCO specifically mentioned their names in his two-page report, requesting the court to take cognisance of their alleged derogatory remarks during the council's proceedings.

The bench viewed the non-appearance of SSP Mirani seriously despite the serving of a notice on him in presence of railways DSP Safdar Hussain. It issued warrants to him in the sum of Rs25,000 for defying the court order.

The warrants would be served on the SSP by the provincial police officer as he was relieved from the railway police on Nov 22 and reported to the Sindh police for posting.

The court did not allow railway's counsel Mohammad Asghar to contest the case on behalf of SSP Mirani. The SSP was required to attend the court but he failed to turn up and authorized DSP Syed Safdar to represent him.

The court fixed applications of some residents of Mir Fateh Colony for Dec 8 and issued notices to the petitioner mill management and the officials. The DCO told the bench that the encroachments had been removed from the site and the remaining portion of a hut would also be removed soon.

He claimed that the operation had been carried out under a proper plan chalked out at a meeting on Nov 20, attended by officials of agencies and departments concerned. The mill' counsel refuted the civil administration's claim that the encroachments had been completely removed and described the demolition of houses as eyewash.

He alleged that the civil administration had tried to sabotage implementation of the court order. He sought appointment of a commissioner to visit the site and submit a report in the matter.

The court asked the district nazim to produce minutes of the council session and serve notices on the members for contempt of court. It accepted the unconditional apology of railways DSP Junaid Qureshi and withdrew a show-cause notice issued to him.