KARACHI, Aug 20: The district and sessions judge, West, Muhammad Jawaid Alam, confirmed on Wednesday the pre-arrest bail granted to the Nazim of Orangi Town in a murder case.

Muhammad Shahid Alam, better known as Guddo Bihari, was earlier granted on July 8 an anticipatory bail by the same judge in the sum of Rs100,000.

The town Nazim, who belongs to the PPP, was shown an absconder in the case following the statement of the victim’s wife before a judicial magistrate on June 12. The woman had earlier on June 3 lodged the FIR against four attackers who had beaten her husband, Nazeer Hussain, to death.

A sizable number of PPP workers chanted pro-Guddo slogans outside the courtroom as the judge pronounced his order on the bail application filed by Shahadat Awan, president of the People’s Lawyers Forum.

The victim’s wife reported on June 2 to the police that her husband was busy in the construction of their house on June 1, when accused Musa came there and asked her husband to stop construction. On June 2 Moosa, along with his three accomplices, came at the construction site and beat Nazeer Hussain, who was seriously injured and admitted to the Jinnah Hospital.

The police registered the entry of the report in the station diary and registered the FIR following the death of Nazeer Hussain.

Ameer ullah Khan alias Musa, his son Sher Khan, Shahzad Khan alias Fauji and Nadeem alias Baba, all residents of Orangi Town, were named in the FIR. The police arrested three of them, and Nadeem remained untraceable.

However, later the town Nazim was shown as an absconding accused in an interim charge-sheet of the case, submitted in the court on June 15.

According to the charge-sheet, the Nazim was booked in the murder case on the basis of the statements of the witnesses.

Judge Jawaid Alam heard the arguments of Munawwar Mirza, counsel for complainant Sabira, and defence counsel Shahdat Awan for around 45 minutes and retired to his chamber around 10am.

Munawwar Mirza vehemently opposed the bail application of the town Nazim. He contended that Guddu Bihari was involved in several criminal cases.

The counsel stated that after being granted the pre-arrest bail, the town Nazim tempered with the prosecution witnesses as three FIRS were, thereafter, registered against him on the complaints of the PWs.

He argued that the applicant was a desperate and hardened criminal and he would attempt to further influence the prosecution witnesses.

While arguing the bail application of Shahid Alam, defence counsel Shahadat Awan submitted before the court that his client was a political person and the complainant had falsely implicated him in the murder case with the connivance of police at the behest of his political rivals.

He contended that his client was not even named in the FIR, which was otherwise lodged on the basis of a non-cognizable report in the station diary.

The defence counsel contended that his client was implicated in the case following the statements of two prosecution witnesses under section 164 Cr. P. C 10 days after the registration of the FIR.

He submitted that the town Nazim was busy in his official assignments along with other Nazims and councillors at the time of incident.