KARACHI, Jan 17: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday restrained the authorities from evicting the residents from Ghulam Qadir Rind Goth, a locality in the Bin Qasim Town.

A division bench, headed by the senior puisne judge, Justice Maqbool Baqar, was seized with the petition of 16 residents of the goth.

The bench also issued notices to the respondents and ordered that the official respondents shall conduct themselves strictly in accordance with the law.

Petitioners Mubarak Ali and others impleaded the revenue secretary, the director general of the Karachi Development Authority, deputy commissioner (revenue), Bin Qasim SSP, the area Mukhtiarkar of Gothabad Scheme, the SHO of Sukkun police station and two alleged land grabbers Shaharyar and Shehzad as respondents.

The petitioners submitted that they were the permanent residents of the goth that was regularised in 1989.They said that on Dec 31 the revenue and police officials aggressed upon the goth and beat up the residents. The petitioners stated that the respondents threatened the residents of dire consequences if they did not vacate the land within 15 days.

They said that the two alleged land grabbers wanted to illegally occupy the land with the help of police and authorities.

The same court restrained the authorities from evicting the residents of Clifton Quarters located behind the premises of the Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar in Clifton.

Riyaz Ali and Imran Khan filed a petition against a notice issued by the assistant commissioner, Saddar, asking them to vacate the houses within seven days.

The bench issued notices to the Auqaf department and the assistant commissioner to a date to be later fixed by the court's office.