0
LARKANA: Justice Shamsuddin Abbasi of the Sindh High Court, Larkana circuit, on Monday resumed contempt proceedings against suspended SHO of Shahdadkot’s A-Section police station, Anwar Brohi, who sought more time to file his reply through his counsel.
In the previous hearing held on Sept 22, Advocate Shahbaz Brohi had represented Anwar Brohi and co-accused constable Nadir Ali Brohi.
When the proceedings resumed on Monday, Advocate Habibullah G. Ghouri filed his vakalatnama on behalf of the two accused which was taken on record.
Advocate Ghouri sought time to file his reply upon which the court observed that on the previous date of hearing also, Advocate Shahbaz Brohi had sought time for filing the reply on Sept 25 but it was not being done.
Alleged contemnor had detained and harassed raid commissioner, defied sessions court’s order to let off illegally held man
The judge said: “Time is granted as the last chance to file reply,” and adjourned the matter till Sept 26 at 10:30am.
In compliance of Justice Abbasi’s earlier order, Larkana DIG Javed Soonharo Jiskani and Qambar-Shahdadkot SSP Asif Raza Baloch, along with SP Legal at DIG office Mohammed Hussain, DSP Legal Qambar-Shahdadkot Inayat Brohi and SHO B-Section Shahdadkot Tufail Ahmed Ahmedani, personally appeared in court.
The DIG and SSP submitted their compliance reports which were taken on record.
They said that the non-bailable warrants issued against another co-accused, constable Hassand Khan Magsi (who got his name corrected as the SSP had written it as ‘Hassan Khan’ in his report), had been executed upon him and he was being produced in the court in custody.
The court granted his bail in a sum of Rs50,000.
A copy of the reference and annexure was provided to Hassand Magsi, who also sought time to engage a lawyer and file his reply.
Facts leading to contempt case
The contempt proceedings against Anwar Brohi along with his certain subordinates were recommended by the Qambar-Shahdadkot District and Sessions Judge Zahid Hussain Maitlo, who had taken notice of the Sept 15 harassment of and misbehaviour with a raid commissioner at the A-Section police station.
The raid commissioner, Siraj Ahmed Shar, had submitted his report before Judge Maitlo revealing that he paid a surprise visit to the A-Section police station to find and get released an illegally detained person, Zahid Solangi, on an order of the district and sessions judge. He stated that the then SHO, Anwar Brohi, was not present at that time and Mr Solangi, along with 10-12 other people were found detained in the lock-up without any entry in the Roznamcha. Mr Shar stated that SHO Brohi entered the police station while he (the raid commissioner) was in the process of making entries of the locked up people in the Roznamcha. He further stated that SHO Brohi snatched the Roznamcha from him, detained him next to the lock-up for 20 minutes during which he kept beating up Solangi in front of him. Later, Brohi took away Solangi from the police station, stated Mr Shar.
Taking notice of the episode, the Larkana DIG, the very next day, stripped Brohi of his position as SHO, demoted him to the lower rank and placed him under suspension to face an inquiry.
Brohi then went underground and could not be traced out for several days. In the meantime, the contempt case against him was instituted and warrants were issued for the arrest of Brohi and several of his subordinate personnel by Justice Shamsuddin Abbasi of the Sindh High Court, Larkana circuit. Surprisingly, Anwar Brohi, along with co-accused Nadir Ali Brohi,
‘voluntarily’ appeared before Justice Abbasi on Sept 22, a week after the episode, to face the contempt proceedings.
SHO, seven others booked
An FIR (196/2023) against the suspended SHO, an ASI, four constables and two unknown suspects had already been registered at the A-Section police station on an order issued by District and Sessions Judge Zahid Hussain Maitlo.
Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023
