KARACHI, May 5: The Sindh High Court asked a petitioner non-governmental organization on Thursday to furnish a list of violative buildings built around the Quiad-i-Azam’s mazar in violation of the ban on highrises. Petitioner Shehri said a number of buildings had been raised in the vicinity of the mazar in contravention of the building rules. Unscrupulous and greedy builders and developers were out to violate the law and rules and cause environmental damage.

The city district government and the Karachi Building Control Authority were silent spectators to the destruction of the city’s landscape.

A division bench comprising Justices Ataur Rahman and S. Ali Aslam Jaferi asked the petitioner to submit a list of the violative buildings to file a statement containing details of the measures taken by it to prevent construction of the unauthorized buildings. The proceedings were adjourned to May 15.

CLAIM DECREED: Justice Rehmat Hussain Jafri has asked the Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation to pay Rs752,923 to the legal heirs of a person electrocuted in August 1994. suit for the recovery of damages for negligence was moved by the widow of Muhammad Akram Qureshi through Advocate Nasir Maqsood. Her husband was returning home from work when he got entangled in a live wire lying on the road. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

She said Akram’s death was caused by negligence of the KESC. He was 45 and was earning Rs2,500 per month as a skilled painter at the time of his death. She claimed Rs3.5 million in damages.

The court awarded Rs350,923 as compensation for the loss of income, Rs202,923 for the loss of life and Rs200,000 as damages for the mental shock suffered by the plaintiff and other legal heirs. Markup was allowed at the rate of 15 per cent till the date of payment and the total amount was ordered to be distributed among all the legal heirs in accordance with the law.

BANKER’S SUIT: Former Allied Bank provincial chief Imdad A. Shaikh has moved a suit for the recovery of Rs100 million as damages for malicious prosecution against the ABL, the federation, the National Accountability Bureau and the Federal Investigation Agency.

He submitted through Advocate Rashid A. Razvi that he was implicated, along with the directors of the Tawakkal group of companies, in a criminal case in 1997.

The case was transferred from the banking court to an accountability court. Convicting the co-accused, the court acquitted the plaintiff for want of evidence. A NAB appeal against his acquittal was dismissed by an SHC division bench.

The plaintiff said his prosecution, spread over seven years, caused injury to his name, status and reputation besides agony and hardship. He was entitled to Rs100 million in damages for false prosecution, he said.