HYDERABAD: The Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate-II on Saturday rejected bail plea of a Railway policeman in mysterious death case of a female passenger on the Millat Express on April 7. The woman had died on the train while travelling from Karachi to Faisalabad ahead of Eidul Fitr.

The court announced today the order which it had reserved on the bail application field by the accused Mir Hassan, who was earlier granted bail in a sum of Rs35,000.

Hyderabad Railway police station’s SHO Mohammad Hussain had filed an application in the court following the woman’s death, stating that the accused was not cooperating in the investigation of the case.

He sought cancellation of the bail and sought permission for medical examination of the accused to determine his mental health. Today, the court announced its reserved order, cancelling bail of the accused, who did not turn up in the court on health grounds.

Mir Hassan had obtained the bail from the court in a sum of Rs35,000 after having been arrested for assaulting the woman in Faisalabad-bound Millat Express on April 7. He was arrested by police and a case was lodged against him for assaulting the woman after footage of the crime went viral on social media during Eid days.

Hearing of graft case put off

An accountability court judge on Saturday adjourned hearing of Rs5.02 billion reference against Sindh Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro, his brother Kashif Shoro and others to May 25.

The judged expressed displeasure when former mukhtiarkar of Qasimabad, Mumtaz Talpur, did not appear in the court after he had sought time to produce record.

The accused Jam Khan, Kashif Shoro and 16 others were present in the court as their counsels cross-examined a prosecution witness Liaquat Bhatti, a revenue department employee.

Liaquat Bhatti had submitted some revenue record to the National Accountability Bureau.

The reference pertained to misuse of authority by the incumbent minister between June 2013 and May 2018. The minister had allegedly changed locations of precious state land on main Jamshoro road.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024