HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Tuesday ordered sessions judges of 12 districts in lower Sindh region to appoint one judicial magistrate each in talukas to monitor the process of distribution of gunny bags by food inspectors and other officers concerned.

The division bench comprising Justices Azizur Rehman and Fahim Ahmed Siddiqui passed the order and thereby disposed of 18 identical petitions filed by growers from several areas.

The petitioners said that the officials concerned, who were made respondents in their petitions, were not supplying gunny bags to them as per policy and according to their demands.

The gunny bags’ issue arose every year during this season in April when wheat crop was ready for procurement by government, they said.

They said that procurement process was carried out by food department through respective district food inspectors and every year growers filed several petitions against food department with almost similar complaints.

The court referred to an order passed by the Sukkur bench of the SHC on April 26 last year whereby it had disposed of eight identical petitions on a similar issue, ordering sessions judge to nominate civil judge and judicial magistrate in each taluka of the district to monitor distribution of gunny bags to petitioners.

On Tuesday, the court directed sessions’ judges of Hyderabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammad Khan, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar, Badin, Sanghar, Nawabshah and Umerkot to nominate one judicial magistrate for each taluka to monitor the process of distribution of wheat bags.

The court also ordered deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to cooperate with judicial officers and issue necessary directives to their staff in this regard.

The district food inspectors were directed to liaise with district judges concerned and nominated judicial magistrates and follow their instructions.

According to the order, the district and sessions judges were directed to keep an eye on the entire process of distribution of wheat bags and ensure the process was transparent and complaints in this regard were addressed promptly after due process.

The judges were fully authorised to take any appropriate action against delinquent officials in accordance with law, it said.

The court also ordered that practice of appointment of judicial magistrate by district and sessions judges subject to prevailing policy would continue each year during wheat harvesting season.

The order said that district and sessions judges as well as nominated judicial magistrates might use any coercive measure for the enforcement of their directives for distribution of wheat bags as per prescribed policy, rules and procedures in an adequate and transparent manner.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2018