KARACHI, Oct 10: Justice Mushir Alam of the Sindh High Court restrained the Karachi Building Control Authority and the city district government from taking any coercive action against a Clifton hospital for allegedly raising unauthorised construction.

Plaintiff doctor M. A. Siddiqui submitted through Advocate Arshad Tayyabali that he bought a 2,295-square-yard plot (56/XD 37 Sheet C-F-1, Clifton)along with a double storey bungalow constructed on it in 1997 to raise a cardiac clinic known as ‘Heart Centre’. Encouraged by public response, he decided to expand it and establish a general hospital named ‘Pakland Hospital’.

The plaintiff said he submitted an application for regularization of the new building well in time. However, the KBCA issued him notice for sealing and demolition of the structure instead of taking action on his regularization plea. Advocate Tayyabali informed the court that 50 patients were at present admitted to hospital and any action to raze the building or seal it off would endanger their lives. The court issued notices to the defendants for October 26 and restrained them from taking any coercive action in the meanwhile.

BAIL EXTENDED: The Sindh High Court extended on Monday the interim bail granted by it to former revenue minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh and admitted a co-accused revenue official to protective bail till Oct 24. The ex-minister’s bail plea in a kidnapping for ransom case came up before a division bench, comprising Justices Ghulam Rabbani and Azizullah M. Memon. His counsel, Raja Qureshi, took exception to Advocate Raza Hashmi’s appearance as a state counsel in the case, which is pending before an anti-terrorism court. Mr Qureshi said Mr Hashmi had represented the complainant in the case before the trial court and was, therefore, disqualified from representing the state.