HYDERABAD, July 8: The Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, on Tuesday issued notices to the secretary, Auqaf, Religious/Minority Affairs, Zakat and Ushr department, the administrator, Zakat and Ushr Committee (Tharparkar), the district Zakat officer (Tharparkar) and others on five separate constitutional petitions, challenging dissolution of local Zakat and Ushr committees.

Advocate Mansoor Ahmed filed separate petitions on behalf of chairmen Dehs Dharando, Rajoro, Parano, Kharyo Ghulam Shah, Hirar Dedhar and Dharendro of Chachro, Mithi and Nagaprakar Talukas.

The petitioner chairmen said that the district Zakat and Ushr Committee had the power to remove local Zakat committees, which supersede local committees, if it came to know that the members of committees were engaged in political activities, misusing their authority, and unable to administer their affairs.

They said that the administrator, district, Zakat and Ushr Committee, had dissolved their bodies without assigning any reason for dissolution.

They prayed the court to declare the notification as illegal and arbitrary.

The court issued notices to the respondents with the directives to fix the matter before a division bench.