HYDERABAD, Dec 4: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, comprising Mr Justice Ashraf Leghari and Mr Justice Wahid Bux Brohi, on Tuesday issued notices to the Additional Advocate General, Sindh, and Deputy Superintendent Jail, Aijaz Hyder, on the constitutional petition of Shama Hassan, wife of Hassan Rajar, a PPP activist, challenging the shifting of Rajar from the Hyderabad jail to the Landhi prison.

Advocate Farmood Al Babar appeared on behalf of the petitioner.

He cited Nawaz Hussain, DIG Prisons, Malik Altaf Awan, Superintendent jail, Aijaz Haider, Deputy Superintendent jail, as respondents.

The petitioner claimed eight cases were pending against Rajar in the courts of Hyderabad, and added that the jail authorities had maltreated her husband, Mr Hassan, a week ago. She said that the authorities also seized a colour TV, a tape recorder, a gold ring, a gold chain, four chairs, a table, and a carpet which were in the room of her husband.

She said that cases were being tried inside the jail.

She accused the prison officials of demanding bribe from her husband, and added that he was transferred from Hyderabad to Karachi as he did not pay them illegal gratification.

She maintained that the jail authorities had shifted her husband without any lawful authority and without seeking approval of the trial courts concerned. She described it as an attempt of depriving him from getting justice.

She said in her husband’s absence from the jail it would not be possible for the courts concerned to hold trial and conclude it.

She said that it would also cause her great inconvenience to go all the way to Karachi for his trial.

The petitioner’s counsel prayed the court to direct the respondent jail officials to bring Rajar from the Landhi jail to the Hyderabad prison and the respondents should be restrained from transferring him to another jail unless the cases were decided. He requested that all the goods, seized from the under-trial prisoner, should be returned to him.