KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Saturday issued notices to the chief provincial law officer and others on a petition of several Sindh government employees against their proposed eviction from their residences in Karachi.

The petitioners, through their counsel moved the SHC submitting that they were serving employees of different departments of the provincial government and posted in Karachi.

The counsel argued that the petitioners were allotted flats at GOR-III Shadman Town, GOR-I Bath Island and Oyster Tower, Clifton after fulfilling all legal formalities by competent authorities and rent was being deducted from their salaries as per the terms and conditions of their allotment orders.

Impleading the chief secretary as well as secretary and a section officer of the Sindh service, general administration and coordination department as respondents, the counsel submitted that the petitioners had earlier approached the SHC after receiving notices from the estate officer to vacate the flats and the high court through an order passed on July 16, directed the respondents to issue fresh notices.

However, the petitioners maintained that in order to harass them notices were issued again by the respondents to vacate the flats. They argued that they made a joint representation before the respondents that the notices were illegal and unjustified since they had neither been transferred from Karachi nor retried from government service.

They pleaded to set aside the notices and also sought direction for respondents not to dispossess them during pendency of the petition.

A two-judge special bench of the SHC headed by Justice Abdul Rasool Memon issued notices to respondents and the advocate general, Sindh for Oct 6 to file comments.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2018