KARACHI, Aug 1: The Sindh government has decided to immediately acquire a building on a rental basis for the Sindh Criminal Prosecution Service (SCPS), which is being made functional.

Well-placed sources told Dawn that a high-level meeting chaired by the chief secretary on Wednesday discussed and approved certain proposals on making the SCPS functional. The meeting was attended by secretaries of Law, Home, Finance and Services & General Administration departments, besides the Sindh prosecutor-general and SCPS officials, they said.

The meeting reportedly decided to acquire an office building on rent not exceeding Rs80,000 a month till the completion of construction and renovation work on the SCPS offices, allocated in the Old State Bank building.

The sources said the meeting also discussed the appointment of deputy district public prosecutors and assistant district public prosecutors.

They said that a selection committee comprising the Sindh prosecutor-general, SCPS secretary, an additional advocate-general, an additional law secretary and a representative from the S&GA department had already been constituted to conduct interviews of the incumbents for their regular appointments.

According to the sources, the meeting decided to fill in 50 per cent vacancies of the additional prosecutors general and deputy prosecutors on a contract basis till the regular appointments to be made through the public service commission.

As many as 18 special public prosecutors for special courts will also be appointed on a contract basis. The meeting also decided to induct the surplus ministerial staff from the solicitor office and law department.

The sources said the law secretary was asked to arrange a meeting of the SPG and SCPS secretary with the law minister in this regard within the next three-four days.

The SCPS was constituted by Sindh governor on May 13 through an ordinance — the Sindh Criminal Prosecution Services (constitution, functions and powers) Ordinance 2007 — with the aim of ensuring speedy disposal of cases, as well as independent prosecution in the cases where a verdict appeared dubious, such as those given in the cases investigated and prosecuted by the police department.

However, the body has so far failed to take off because of delays in the provision of offices and staff. Additional prosecutors general and deputy prosecutors general are yet to be appointed whereas records of criminal cases have also not been handed over the SCPS.