KARACHI: High Court takes notice of prison affairs
KARACHI, Sept 29: Taking notice of irregularities in central jail Karachi, the Sindh High Court on Friday summoned the superintendent central for Oct 3 with directives to produce an under-trial prisoner who was not produced before trial court during the last four years.
SHC's division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Yasmeen Abbasi, was hearing suo moto reference, which was taken on report of District and Session Judge Karachi East regarding irregularities in central prison.
President, Sindh High Court Bar Association M. Ilyas Khan, who was appointed amicus curie by the court in this matter submitted report of his visit to jail indicating several irregularities by jail authorities causing delay in disposal of cases of UTPs.
The report stated that one UTP Shahid Kamal was incarcerated in jail since 1996 and for the last four years, he was not produced before the trial court by jail authorities.
It was pointed out by M Ilyas Khan that a list of UTPs produced by jail authorities on the last date of hearing was faulty, citing example that UTP Shahid Kamal was shown involved in a murder case while the name of court, where his trial was being conducted was indicated as Special Judge Custom and Taxation.
Several UTPs complained that only those prisoners were produced before trial court that greased the palm of jail authorities, he added.
The court took serious notice of the carelessness of the jail authorities and summoned the superintendent for Oct 3 to explain such irregularities.
KIDNAPPING CASE: The Sindh High Court on Friday dismissed an appeal by four convicts in a kidnapping for ransom case, but converted their death sentence into life imprisonment.
Zafar Iqbal, Shaukat Ali, Munir Ahmed and Ali Akbar were sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in Karachi for kidnapping a workshop owner Aslam Lodhi and his five employees for ransom on Jan 1, 2004
According to the prosecution, Zafar invited his employer Aslam Lodhi and five colleagues for a dinner at his residence and made them hostage with the help of other co-appellants after intoxicating them.
The case was registered against appellants at Ajmeer Nagri police station Karachi.
The appeal of convicts were heard by SHC's division bench, comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Ali Sain Dino Metlo.
The court after perusal of evidence of the case and hearing the arguments of he appellants and state counsels, for reason to be recorded later, dismissed the appeal but converted the death sentence of appellants into life imprisonment.—PPI
