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KARACHI, July 17: The Sindh High Court issued notices to the provincial home secretary and prison authorities in a petition challenging denial of remission in jail term to a kidnapping-for-ransom convict serving life imprisonment.
Petitioner Javaid Sadiq submitted through Advocate Javaid Ahmed Chhatari that he was convicted and sentenced to life term by an anti-terrorism court for kidnapping a man for ransom on July 5, 1999. He was arrested for the offence under Section 365-A of the Pakistan Penal Code by the New Town police earlier on July 1, 1998.
The petitioner said he was not being allowed the benefit of remissions under the provisions of the criminal procedure code by Karachi’s Central Prison authorities despite repeated requests.
According to the jail superintendent, offenders convicted under the Anti-Terrorist Act were no longer entitled to remissions by virtue of the newly-inserted Section 21-F of the ATA.
He said the new provision (Section 21-F) was incorporated in the ATA in August 2001 while his arrest and conviction preceded the amendment. The amendment could not be given retrospective effect to deprive prior convicts of their entitlement to remissions.
Admitting the petition, a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro, directed that notices be issued to the respondent authorities for July 27.
DETENTION: The Sindh High Court on Monday issued notices to advocate-general Sindh, deputy attorney general and others for July 25 on a petition against illegal detention of two relatives of Jamhori Watan Party Chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti by law enforcement agencies, adds PPI.
Haji Mir Hasan Bugti alleged in petition that his son Bilal Bugti and nephew Murtaza Bugti were arrested by LEA without any charge on July 14 from Boating Basin area.
Petitioner's counsel S M Iqbal expressed fear about the life of detainees as they were not produced before any court of law and their whereabouts are still unknown.
He told the court that no case was pending against the detainees in any police station and they were detained by the LEA just to put pressure Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti as the detainees are his relatives.
Naming federal government, the interior ministry, the Sindh home department, the IG Sindh and SHO Boating Basin police station as respondents the court was prayed to order release of detainees from the custody of respondent agencies.
SHC's division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro, after preliminary hearing of the petition issued notice to respondents, as well as the AG and the DAG for July 25 and called their comments.
