KARACHI, July 31: Justice Khawaja Naveed Ahmed of the Sindh High Court acquitted on Thursday eight police officials allegedly involved in the murder of Rasul Bakhsh Brohi, a labourer who had come from Jamshoro to earn a living in Karachi.
Police superintendent Chaudhry Aslam, deputy superintendent Irfan Bahadur, inspector Ishaq Lashari, inspector Nasirul Hasan, Bahauddin Babar, Sarwar Commando, Asif Jamil Qureshi and Nazeer Ahmed were booked for murder on the complaint of the victim’s brother. But the only eye-witness cited in the case failed to identify the accused. There being no evidence against them, the court ordered their acquittal and release if not required in any other case.
Meanwhile, sub-inspectors Malik Qaiyum and Shan-i-Haider and ASI Shahabuddin were summoned by the judge on August 5. Petitioner Khalil Ahmed informed the judge that the three officials, who were members of a special task force at Jamshed Quarters, raided his house in Gulshan-i-Zahoor, Abyssinia Lines, and picked up his brothers Imran and Rehan. The officials said his brothers were accomplices of Hasan, an accused involved in theft of motorcycles.
There was no truth in the allegation, the petitioner said, and the police had to release the two detainees. However, they extorted Rs200,000 from him before releasing his brothers. They were demanding Rs200,000 more and threatening to re-arrest his brothers if the demand was met.
A call from one of the respondent officials was allegedly received on the petitioner’s cell phone as he was addressing the court.
Notices issued
The Sindh High Court issued notices to a town municipality on Thursday for allegedly recovering octroi from merchants bringing their fruit and vegetable for sale.
Zulfiqar Ali Solangi and four other traders of Taluka Mehar, Dadu, alleged that three persons claiming to be octroi collection contractors were forcing them to pay a new tax on their merchandise. The contractors claimed that they had been awarded a contract for recovery of the tax by the municipal administration.
The petitioners claimed that they were already paying market fee to the local market committee under the Agricultural Marketing Act, 1939, and no other tax could be imposed on them for bringing their goods to the market. The petitioners said octroi had long been abolished. They requested the court to stay the recovery of the impugned tax pending the hearing of the petition.
Contesting the petition, Assistant Advocate-General Adnan Karim Memon submitted before acting Chief Justice Azizullah M. Memon and Justice Khalid Ali Z. Qazi, who constituted the bench seized of the petition, that the petitioners’ allegation was ill-founded. The levy being recovered was not octroi but a cess levied under Section 116 of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001, which empowered the municipality in this behalf. He said an interim order pending a detailed reply by the respondent municipality would not be in the fitness of things.
The bench issued notices to the respondents for August 13 without staying the recovery.
Couple safely escorted
A free will marriage couple was safely escorted from the high court by the Preedy police. Petitioners Ali and Aziz Bano informed the bench that they married of their free will without the consent of their parents in 2005. Aziz Bano’s father belatedly lodged a kidnapping and Hudood case against Sikandar at the Saeedabad police station, Matiari.
The petitioners sought the quashment of the FIR and a direction against harassment by police. They also requested the court to order the police to provide them security as the complainant was around and may resort to use of force.
AAG Memon said the quashment of the case would not be advisable at this stage and it would be appropriate if the court directed the police to discharge the case after recording the alleged kidnap victim Aziz Bano’s statement that she had left her parent’s home after marrying Sikandar without any compulsion.
The bench asked the police officials concerned to investigate the case without harassing the couple and drop the charge if Aziz Bano denied kidnapping or forced marriage. The AAG was told to ask the Preedy police station to send a mobile to carry the couple safely to their residence.
Victimisation allged
The father of a grade 18 official alleged that a bogus case had been instituted against him to throw him behind bars. The petitioner said his son, Qurban Ali Rajar, last served as the district officer (revenue) at Tando Allahyar. He had been detained in the Central Prison and he or any other relative was not being allowed to meet him.
Besides putting the respondents on notice, the division bench consisting of ACJ Azizullah M. Memon and Justice Khalid Ali Qazi also issued a notice to the advocate-general for August 7.
Official languages
The bench advised petitioner S.M. Iqbal Kazmi to amend his petition for use of Urdu and Sindhi as official and court languages and as mediums of instruction under the Sindh Languages Act of 1972. It said the private education sector should particularly be made a party because it had a stake in the matter. Other relevant matters should also be included in the petition besides citing all the necessary parties as respondents. The hearing was adjourned until after the requisite amendments.
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