ISLAMABAD, June 26: A bailiff appointed by the District and Sessions Judge Islamabad, Sheikh Ahmed Farooq freed 14 bonded labourers working at a brick kiln in village Tarlai after a raid on Tuesday night.

The judge had received a complaint on behalf of one of the labourers Rehmanullah, that he and 13 others including some relatives were ‘detained’ by the brick kiln owner, Munawar Iqbal some 10 km south of the capital.

The complainant claimed that they were not paid their wages for a long time and also mal-treated.

The judge, exercising powers invested in him, as in the case of other district and session judges, conferred following an amendment in the section 491 of the CRPC, appointed Abdul Latif Khokar as the bailiff, to raid the site.

The bailiff raided the site late Tuesday night and found the 14 labourers and the owner.

The brick kiln owner did not resist and claimed that he had made an advance payment of Rs200,000 collectively to them.

The bailiff told him that he should make his claims before the court on Wednesday. He repeated his claim before the court again in the presence of the 14 labourers.

The main complainant Rehmanullah contended that: “we intend to reach a compromise with the owner out of court”.

On this statement of the complainant the court did not take any action against the owner and allowed them to go for negotiated settlement.