KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has directed the inspector general of police (IGP) to hold an inquiry against a police sub-inspector for “tarnishing the reputation of the force”.

The SHC noted the police officer has, without any justification, blatantly violated the privacy of a female suspect while arresting her among others.

The single-judge bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Omar Sial, also observed that brave and valiant officers of the Sindh police were sacrificing their lives to protect the lives and property of the people in Sindh, but officers like the SI in question were tarnishing the reputation of the police force.

The applicant in the case, Rehana, had moved the SHC through her counsel after the trial court dismissed her post-arrest bail application in March in a case about allegedly running a brothel at Gulshan-i-Hadeed.

SHC moved against sub-inspector for violating privacy of applicant’s home during raid

The counsel for the applicant argued that the applicant was framed by SI Mohammad Hasan, the complainant in the case, “for not fulfilling an undue demand” and that the allegations did not attract the offences/provisions invoked in the FIR.

The lawyer also contended that the police party, which raided applicant Rehana’s house, had violated the provision of Section 103 (Search to be made in presence of witnesses. Occupant of place searched may attend) of the Criminal Procedure Code. Moreover, there was no complaint from neighbours about the alleged offences while the applicant has no criminal record, added the lawyer.

The bench in its order said that the complainant, SI Hasan, was asked under what authority he entered not only a private home but also the bedroom of a couple.

“Neither he, nor the learned additional prosecutor general [APG] was able to justice his action, apart from a weak and feeble claim that spy information was received that the house is a brothel,” it added.

However, it also noted that APG did attempt to justify the action of the police officer by stating that the FIR had wrongly said that he had entered into the house as in reality the applicant was arrested outside the house.

The order further said, “There is not an iota of doubt in my mind that SI Hasan has blatantly violated the proverbial ‘chadar and chaar deewari’ without any justification”.

Simultaneously, the APG also informed the bench that bail had already been granted to the applicant by the trial court and the current bail application had become infructuous and was disposed of as such.

The order stated, “I am saddened to see that on the one hand, brave and valiant officers of the Sindh police are giving their lives to protect the life and property of Sindh citizens while on the other hand, officers like SI Hasan, tarnish the force reputation.

“The inspector general of police, Sindh is requested to conduct an enquiry to determine whether disciplinary action should be initiated against SI Hasan. The reputation of the Sindh police must be protected at all costs”, it concluded.

Earlier, the prosecution had submitted that police had raided a house in Gulshan-i-Hadeed in February after receiving information that a brothel was being run there and arrested the applicant along with a man named Ramzan and a woman, Shabana.

A case was lodged under Sections 371-A (selling a person for purposes of prostitution, etc.), 371-B (buying a person for purposes of prostitution, etc.) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Steel Town police station.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2026