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KARACHI, June 15: A division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Faisal Arab on Friday reserved the verdict on a plea challenging the retail and wholesale prices of fresh milk for the city notified by the City District Government Karachi (CDGK).
The bench reserved the verdict after hearing the arguments of the counsels representing the petitioners, the Sindh government and the city government.
Petitioner Hafiz Nisar, president of All Karachi Milk Retailers Association, had challenged the retail and wholesale milk prices, Rs28 and Rs26 respectively, which were notified by the city government through a notification issued on April 20, 2006.
The petition argued that the city government was not authorised to notify the prices of fresh milk as it should be done by the Sindh government.
Appearing for the State, Additional Advocate General (AAG) Sarwar Khan argued that the committee of the city government had fixed the prices of fresh milk, as per law, with the participation of all the stakeholders.
Advocate Manzoor Ahmed appeared for the city government and adopting the contentions of the AAG stated that the provincial government had already awarded the authority to the city government through a notification for fixing fair and justified prices of milk.
The counsel for petitioners, Advocate Naeem ur Rehman, contented that the committee of the city government had ignored the recommendations of the director of the animal husbandry, Hyderabad, who had issued the production price of fresh milk at Rs33.84.
He also argued that the city government had issued a notification on March 16, 2007, about prices of fresh milk without the representation of the Sindh government.
The CDGK, Director-General Supply Price and Control (CDGK), Karachi Dairy Farm Association, Dairy Farm Association and others are cited as respondents.
BAIL GRANTED: An SHC division bench allowed bail to an accused facing charges in a narcotics case on furnishing Rs200,000 as surety.
Accused/applicant Mohammad Nawaz was booked on the charges of having in his possession 10kg charas seized from him by the City Police at Sohrab Goth.
The case against the accused/applicant is pending before the Judge of Special, CNS (Control of Narcotics Substances), Court II, Karachi.
Earlier, the order on the bail plea was reserved by a division bench comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Mohammad Ather Saeed and had been announced by the bench comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Faisal Arab.
Appearing for the applicant, advocates Shoukat Hayyat and Farooq Ahmed argued that the accused/applicant was booked and investigated by the police’s operation branch, which should have been done by the investigation wing.
NOTICE ISSUED: A division bench of the SHC comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Ms Qaiser Iqbal issued notice to the State, on a petition challenging the use of an industrial plot for purposes other than industrial.
Petitioners Mohammad Khalid and others submitted that a 10-acre plot was leased to Shafiq Textile Mills for establishment of an industry but the same was being used for other purposes.
The petition challenged that a textile unit was established on the land but the textile factory was closed down in 1997 and since then the same was being used as a warehouse.
Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate Shafiq Qureshi stated that the land was being used as a godown for storage of different food items and fruit.
He argued that the lease of the plot was awarded for industrial purposes while the utilisation of the same for other purposes was illegal. —APP
