SHC restrains city govt from issuing NOCs for billboards
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 1: Justice Zia Pervez of the Sindh High Court has restrained the city district government from licensing more billboards pending hearing of a suit against violative hoardings in the city.
A plaintiff submitted through Advocate Ishrat Husain Rizvi that the billboards had been hung, installed and affixed in violation of the city district government’s own rules regulating outdoor advertizing.
They obstructed the view of road users and disturbed smooth flow of traffic. One hoarding recently fell over a pedestrian at Regal Chowk. The boards also offended against the aesthetic sense.
The plaintiff requested the court for a declaration that the hoardings were violative of laws and rules and a permanent mandatory injunction against their installation and display. He impleaded the provincial and city governments and the outdoor advertizers association as defendants. None of the defendants was present as the court took up the plaint. It ordered that notices issued to the defendants be repeated and adjourned the case to a date in office. In the meanwhile, the parties were directed to maintain status quo.
ACQUITTED: The Sindh High Court set aside conviction of two officials of the excise and taxation department by a trial court and acquitted them from charges of possessing drugs, adds PPI.
Abid Hussain Jaffery and Mohammad Ashraf Shaheen were sentenced to 10 years in prison with a fine of Rs.1,00,000 by the Control of Narcotics Substance (CNS) court Karachi on July 3, 2004. They were prosecuted on charge of possessing 2950 grams of heroin powder besides five bottles of liquor at their office on Aug 2, 2001.
SHC’s division bench comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Azizullah M Memon after hearing arguments of counsels, for reason to be recorded later, allowed the appeal and ordered to release the appellants if not involved in other cases.
