KARACHI: The Sindh High Court again directed on Tuesday the Sindh chief secretary to file an undertaking that no officer who had entered into a plea bargain/voluntary return scheme with the National Accountability Bureau would be given any posting in any department till May 29.

The two-judge bench of the SHC headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro expressed resentment against the chief secretary for not filing his personal undertaking despite previous orders.

The bench asked the chief secretary that how those officers who had entered into voluntary return with NAB in corruption cases had been holding the offices and why Mehdi Ali Shah was appointed secretary for workers welfare board after voluntary return of money.

The chief secretary replied that action was taken against Mehdi Shah and an increment in his salary was withheld.

The bench asked the top provincial officer that the court issued directives for a maximum punishment to corrupt officials, but not a minimum fine. He submitted that he took action against many officials and also dismissed two from service.

An additional advocate general informed the bench that the chief minister handed down the minimum punishment in the case of Mehdi Shah.

When the bench inquired that whether Mehdi Shah was a brother-in-law of the chief minister, the chief secretary said it was not in his knowledge, adding that probably he was married in the chief minister’s family.

Responding to another question, additional advocate general said that the minimum punishment was awarded to 27 officers as the embezzled amount was less than Rs5 million. However, he contended that as the matter was pending before the apex court, they could not take any major action against them till the final order.

The bench observed that the law officer was referring to the apex court directive, but warned that he would face the consequences if he failed to establish the same.

The additional advocate general further submitted that action was being taken against 227 officials.

Notices to KE, Nepra on contempt plea

A two-judge bench of the SHC on Tuesday issued notices to K-Electric and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on a contempt of court application asking them to respond by May 30.

Karamat Ali and others through their counsel Advocate Faisal Siddiqui filed an application and sought contempt of court proceedings against officials of the KE and Nepra for deliberately subverting and undermining an earlier order of the court.

The applicants submitted that the SHC in its order on May 29, 2017 had directed the KE not to underutilise its capacity and maintenance plan.

Information commission

The SHC on Tuesday directed the provincial authorities to form an information commission within a week.

The court directed the Sindh government to establish a three-member commission comprising a former judge of high court, a senior lawyer and a member of civil society.

The petitioner, Tariq Mansoor, moved the court and submitted that the provincial assembly had passed the Sindh Trans­parency and Right to Information Law in 2016, but it was not being implemented as no commission had been established yet.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2018