KARACHI, Aug 24: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the advocate-general of Sindh in a contempt petition alleging that elections to four newly-constituted union councils of Rato Dero, Larkana, were being held in violation of the court order.

Petitioner Sameer Durrani submitted through Advocate Asif Razzak Soomro that an SHC division bench had directed the election authorities last week either to hold polls in conformity with the pre-existing union council demarcation or create the new union councils in accordance with section 6 of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance.

The court, the petitioner said, had declared the detachment of four dehs — Nazeer Detho, Panjo Kinaro, Salar Jarwar and Shadi Abro from the taluka of Rato Dero and their transfer to Garhi Yasin taluka in Shikarpur district — illegal and void. Yet the authorities were bent upon holding polls under the new delimitation. He moved for the prosecution of the authorities for contempt and sought a fresh restraint order against them.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro directed that the advocate-general be issued notice in the petition for Wednesday.