KARACHI: The district and sessions judge (South) on Thursday appointed a judicial magistrate to hold an inquiry into the fire in the malkhana (storehouse of case property) at the City Courts.

The magistrate was appointed as an inquiry officer and directed to examine the facts and circumstantial evidence as well as record the testimonies of policemen and watchmen deployed at the day of incident, and other witnesses. The fire broke out in the early hours of Wednesday.

The judicial sources said that the magistrate has started the probe and recorded the statements of around 15 witnesses on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the courts conducted legal proceedings as per routine on Thursday since the authorities allowed the litigants to enter the City Courts premises while jail authorities also produced the undertrial prisoners in the courts.

Baldia factory fire case

An antiterrorism court recorded on Thursday the evidence of three more doctors in the Baldia factory fire case.

Over 250 workers were burnt alive when a multistorey garment factory building in Baldia Town was set on fire in September 2012 over non-payment of protection money.

Three medico-legal officers (MLOs) of government run-hospitals turned up before the judge of ATC-VII, who is conducting trial at the judicial complex inside central prison, and recorded their testimonies.

The MLOs deposed that they have examined some body parts of possibly three victims and obtained samples for DNA tests.

The court adjourned the hearing till April 21 for the evidence of remaining MLOs. The prosecution has so far examined 26 MLOs while remaining 10 are to be examined at future hearings.

MQM lawmaker Rauf Siddiqui, the then MQM sector in-charge Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, Zubair alias Charya and others are facing the trial while the then chief of the MQM organising committee Hammad Siddiqui has been declared as a proclaimed offender.

Remand in robbery case

Police produced on Thursday a couple and their son before a judicial magistrate for remand in a robbery case.

Zafar, his wife Ghazala and their son Faraz have been booked for allegedly robbing a man after he came out of an ATM booth in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2018