HYDERABAD, May 9: Mr Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali of the Sindh High Court Hyderabad Circuit Bench has directed police not to harass a minority girl and her husband and warned that any further action would invite contempt of court proceedings.

The order was passed on a constitutional petition filed by Shirimati Beby, citing the SHOs Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, and Khipro police stations, the DPO Tando Allahyar, her father Faqiro and Ahmed Ali Hingoro as respondents.

According to the complainant, she was a Sui Juris and had married Dhano son of Pancho as per Hindu customs before a civil judge and Judicial Magistrate-II on January 24, of her own free will. Her parents were greedy and wanted to sell her to an aged person of questionable integrity against her wish and consent.

In an affidavit before the magistrate, she said that she had neither been abducted or kidnapped, nor enticed, adding that she was also not being kept in wrongful confinement. If any FIR was lodged against her or her husband it should be deemed false. She claimed that the SHO Tando Allahyar raided her husband’s house and took away his father who was tortured at the police station and then released.

She said police were continuously harassing her and her husband's family, and at the instigation of Faqiro and Ahmed Ali Hingoror, the SHO on January 25 again raided Veesro village near Mirpurkhas Sugar Mills and arrested Mangu Bheel and Preetam Bheel, relatives of Dhano. The same day, the SHO Police Station Khipro at the instigation of Faqiro arrested Kheto, another relative of her husband.

The petitioner's counsel, Wali Mohammad Khoso told the court that even after the filing of this petition, official respondents at the behest of Faqiro and Ahmed Hingoro, were harassing the petitioner and her in-laws.

However, he said right now none of her relatives was in wrongful confinement and petitioner will be satisfied by the disposal of petition with the observation that if any harassment was caused by police they would face contempt proceedings.

Additional AG Sindh Masood A. Noorani submitted that the official respondents had submitted their respective replies, denying allegations of harassment leveled against them.

He said police officials have no authority to harm any peace-loving citizen and if any action is taken it should be within the law.

The court agreed with the contention of the petitioner's counsel and said if any harassment is caused the respondents will face contempt proceedings before the court. The petition was disposed of, accordingly.