KARACHI: High court seeks CM’s reply in contempt case
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Oct 18: The Sindh High Court asked Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim on Thursday to file his reply to the show cause notice for contempt issued to him by November 1.
The notice was based on a report submitted by the SHC registrar quoting the CM as saying that the wall chalking against the SHC chief justice was a reflection of public anger. A five-member-bench comprising Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany, Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Mushir Alam, Mohammad Moosa K. Leghari and Zia Pervez issued a notice to the CM for Oct 18.
A power of attorney executed by the CM in favour of Advocate Wasim Sajjad was filed on Thursday together with a request for two weeks’ adjournment as the lawyer was busy before the Supreme Court in petitions against the presidential poll. His son, Omar Hassan Sajjad, told the bench that the power was signed only on Wednesday and time was required to submit a reply. Observing that the notice was issued 10 days earlier, it, however, allowed adjournment till Nov 1.
Advocate-General Khwaja Naveed Ahmed, who appeared on a court notice, stated that the CM’s alleged remarks were reported only by the daily ‘Kawish’ while his contradiction had been published by as many as 11 newspapers.
The bench said the remarks were also carried by ‘Jang’. The CM’s contradiction, if any, could be submitted along with his reply. It favoured the AG’s suggestion that the newspapers that carried the alleged remarks should also be issued notices.
Ex-FIA man’s plea dismissed
A division bench of the Sindh High Court dismissed on Thursday a bail application moved by a former inspector of the Federal Investigation Agency facing trial by an accountability court.
Applicant Fazle Hadi, who was assigned investigation of a case by the National Accountability Bureau, alleged accepted bribe amounting to Rs200,000 from the accused. According to the bureau, he was caught red-handed in the presence of a magistrate.
The applicant said he was falsely implicated and no money was recovered from him as alleged. No independent witness had been cited and the prosecution case suffered from many flaws.
NAB counsel Ainuddin Khan argued that the amount recovered from the applicant was sufficient to sustain a prima facie case. There was other evidence such as a recorded conversation of the deal between him and the accused, which could be evaluated only at the trial. The bench, which consisted of Justices Rehmat Hussain Jafferi and Mahmood Alam Rizvi, dismissed the application.
Bank official acquitted
Another division bench comprising Justices Rehmat Hussain Jafferi and Khilji Arif Hussain, meanwhile, acquitted Zulfiqar Ali Sher, former manager of an Allied Bank branch at Mirpurkhas. He was convicted by a special court for banking offences and sentenced to 13 years’ rigorous imprisonment for misappropriating Rs76,000 of depositors’ money.
The ex-manager challenged his conviction and sentence in the high court through Advocate M. Ashraff Kazi. The counsel said the trial court judgment was not sustainable in law. The prosecution failed to prove the bank record produced by it. A document produced without being proved had no evidentiary value and no conviction could be based on it.
Production ordered
Another division bench headed by Justice Zia Pervez ordered the production of a detainee found in custody of CID police. He was arrested last month but was belatedly shown to have been arrested in a criminal case. The bench also asked the Baldia Town station house officer and the SHO of the CID police to appear and answer the allegation that the detainee was being held in illegal custody.
Widow’s plea
A petition moved by the widow of a government employee against her eviction from the quarters occupied by her was adjourned to November 8. She submitted through Advocate Ghulam Mustafa Lakho that her (late) husband, Yamin Soomro, was a dispenser in a Gadap Town health centre. Her son was awaiting recruitment to the health department on a kinship basis. The town health office has, however, issued her notice to vacate the quarters allotted to her deceased husband immediately.
