KARACHI, Jan 16: The Sindh High Court on Friday issued a notice to the superintendent of the central prison and the advocate-general of Sindh on a petition against solitary confinement of Arshad Pappu, who has been under trial since 2006.

Asma Arshad, wife of Arshad Pappu, moved the court through Advocate Sheikh Javed Mir against the home secretary, jail superintendent and others.

The counsel submitted that the petitioner’s husband had been in jail since January 21, 2006, while his father, Haji Lal Muhammad alias Lallu, brother Arafat, other relatives were also in prison. He said the petitioner visited the prison 15 days ago to meet her husband, but jail authorities denied the meeting. She came to know that Arshad had been kept in solitary confinement for the last 10 days where no facilities of food and drinking water were available.

Arshad Pappu had a nervous breakdown due to severe torture, but jail authorities did not provide him medical treatment.

The counsel said that Arshad Pappu had not been convicted in a single case though he had been acquitted in some cases.

According to the Prisons Act 1984, an under-trial prisoner cannot be kept in solitary cell for more than 24 hours, while it also secures right of his family to meet him.

The jail authorities were allegedly violating the Prisons Act, he said and prayed to the court to direct the jail authorities to arrange a neuro-physician for him and shift him from the solitary cell besides allowing the petitioner to meet her husband.

After a preliminary hearing, the SHC division bench comprising Justices Khilji Arif Hussain and Arshad Noor Khan issued notices to the superintendent and the advocate-general for Jan 30.—PPI