KARACHI: In less than two weeks after their arrest, a sessions court on Tuesday granted post-arrest bail to eight officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) in the Lyari building collapse case.

The multi-storey building in Lyari’s Baghdadi area collapsed on July 4, killing 27 persons. On July 10, the eight officials of SBCA, along with two owners of the building, were arrested for manslaughter and criminal negligence.

Their counsel moved bail applications and on Tuesday Additional District and Sessions Judge (South) Muhammad Aslam Shaikh granted them bail against a surety bond of Rs1 million each after hearing arguments from prosecutor Rana M. Khalique Jammu and defence counsel.

The prosecutor opposed the bail plea and contended that the suspects were implicated in the case after an inquiry report that defined their specific roles.

Defence questions delay of five days in registration of FIR

He argued that the suspects had shown negligence by failing to issue notices or inform the building’s residents and that it was premature to release them on bail.

On the other hand, one of the defence counsel Javaid Ahmed Chhatari argued that the incident did not fall under Section 322 (Punishment for qatl-bis-sabab) of the Pakistan Penal Code as his client, Asim Khan, had neither a direct nor indirect role in it.

The building was constructed in 1986, at a time when his client was not part of the department, he said.

He argued that the SBCA only took action against a building when a complaint was received and if the condition of the building was dilapidated, it was the responsibility of the local administration to act.

He added that a building’s collapse was not necessarily due to a weak foundation; factors such as sewerage issues and a borehole can also lead to such incidents.

Counsel for suspect Mirza Zargham Haider argued that the FIR was lodged five days after the incident without any plausible explanation, which cast doubt on the prosecution’s case.

He contended that the FIR and subsequent inquiry failed to assign any specific or wilful role to the applicant in connection with the tragic incident.

The counsel further submitted that from 2022 to 2025, the SBCA had issued multiple public notices warning occupants of various dilapidated and dangerous buildings, including the one in Lyari that collapsed.

He maintained that no incriminating document or item had been recovered from the applicant and that all relevant official records were already in the possession of the prosecution, eliminating any risk of tampering with evidence.

Suspect Ashfaq Hussain Khokhar submitted in the application that he had been suspended from his position as SBCA director on May 6, 2025, and therefore could not be held responsible for the incident, as he had already been relieved of his duties by then.

The applicant further stated that the collapsed building had been constructed in 1986, whereas the SBCA was established in 2011, adding that prior to the SBCA, matters relating to building permissions fell under the jurisdiction of the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA).

All eight applicants maintained they had been falsely implicated in the case and asked to the court to grant them post-arrest bail.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2025