KARACHI, March 27: Justice Khilji Arif Hussain of the Sindh High Court decreed two suits seeking damages from the (defunct) Karachi Road Transport Corporation in favour of the victims of an accident caused by rash and negligent driving.

A KRTC bus coming from Saddar overran a pedestrian, Mohammad Irfan, when it reached its destination at Goth Nathan Khan. It then rammed into a stationary private bus and severed the leg of its conductor, Taj Mohammad.

Irfan’s wife and 10 children instituted a suit for damages amounting to Rs 7.5 million and Taj sued the KRTC for Rs 3 million for loss of his leg through Advocate Nasir Maqsood under the Fatal Accidents Act. The Sindh government, which took over the assets and liabilities of the defunct corporation, was also sued as a defendant.

The court awarded a decree for Rs1.8 million in favour of Irfan’s heirs and one for Rs 1.05 million in favour of Taj Mohammad along with mark-up.

Pearl CASE: A Sindh High Court division bench adjourned the hearing of three appeals in the Daniel Pearl murder case to April 18 on Monday.

As appeals came up for hearing before the anti-terrorism bench, comprising Justices Rehmat Hussain Jafferi and Ali Sain Dino Metlo, Assistant Advocate-General Habib Ahmed pointed out that the main accused, appellant Ahmed Omar Shaikh, was not represented by any counsel and the case could not proceed. His counsel, Abdul Waheed Katpar, withdrew his power of attorney on the previous date on his instructions. No lawyer has been engaged by the appellant in Mr Katpar’s place.

Ahmed Omar Shaikh was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court of Hyderabad while three co-accused were awarded life imprisonment for Pearle’s kidnapping and in Karachi in January 2001.

They challenged their conviction and sentences in the high court. The state also moved an appeal seeking enhancement of the sentence awarded to the co-accused to capital punishment.