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KARACHI, Nov 14: The Sindh High Court issued notices to the respondents in a petition challenging the denial of a medical college seat to an allegedly eligible candidate.
Azka Sadiq submitted through Advocates Ghulam Qadir Jatoi and Minhaj Farooqui that she obtained 880 marks out of 1,100 in her A-level examination.
Her name appeared at number 273 in the list of successful candidates issued by the National Testing Services, which conducted the entry test. The candidate getting the 285th position was selected for admission while she was ignored ‘for not mentioning the marks secured by her in the subject of English in the A-level examination’.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Faisal Arab directed the SHC office to issue notices the Dow University of Health Sciences and other respondents for Dec 5.
INVESTIGATION: The bench directed the police to investigate the case lodged by Masood Rasheed against the usurpation of his information technology firm and equipment by his brother and employees.
The case was registered on the direction of a sessions court but the police, the complainant said, were not conducting investigations properly. It had, in particular failed, to recover the stolen equipment.
His counsel, Shakeel Ahmed, sought a direction for appointment of a new investigation officer.
Disposing of the petition, the bench observed that the complainant petitioner could file a direct complaint if he was not satisfied with the quality of investigation. The investigation officer was directed to take into consideration all the evidence produced by the complainant to substantiate his allegations.
PROPERTY TAX: The Sindh High Court asked M/s Karachi International Container Terminal to pay the provincial taxation department within a fortnight Rs47 million in outstanding dues on account of property tax for berths used by it in the dock.
The department was asked to issue a fresh PT-XIV notice to the concern. The order passed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed to dispose of an interlocutory application moved by the plaintiff concern against the imposition of about Rs200 million as property tax.
The impugned demand was made by the department under the Urban Immovable Property Tax Act. The plaintiff concern was issued the demand notice in its capacity as the tenant of the Karachi Port Trust in actual use of the taxable property.
The demand was first challenged by the KPT by a writ petition, which was dismissed. An appeal against the SHC dismissal order was disallowed by the Supreme Court. The container service subsequently instituted a suit and moved an application for issuance of a new PT-XIV notice.
Opposing the application, Additional Advocate-General M. Ahmed Pirzada submitted that the plaintiff concern should first comply with the SHC order upheld by the Supreme Court.
Besides, the notice can be issued once. The court ordered the plaintiff to pay the outstanding dues and the department to issue a fresh notice.
DEMOLITION: The Sindh High Court issued notices to the city district government and the Katchi Abadis Authority in a petition moved by residents of a colony in Orangi Town against dispossession of their plots and demolition of the structures on them.
About 155 residents of Gulshan-i-Zia Colony, Orangi Town, said they were lawful occupants of the settlement. Instead of conducting a survey of the slum and regularizing their possession as provided by the Katchi Abadis Ordinance, they were being dispossessed of their plots and properties. A number of houses and shops had already been demolished without notice. The petitioners said they were willing to pay the regularization fees for transfer of plots and execution of leases in their names
The petitioners requested the court to restrain the respondent authority, the city district government and the Orangi Town nazim from dispossessing them and demolishing their structures. They also sought a direction for grant of leases in their favour.
A division bench comprising Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Sajjad Ali Shah issued notices to the respondents for Nov 23.
