KARACHI, March 11: Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro of the Sindh High Court dismissed on Friday a bail application moved by a revenue official alleged to have fabricated land record at the instance of former provincial minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh.
The deputy district revenue officer for Korangi Township, Ijaz Husain Baloch, is an accused in a case alleging fabrication, manipulation and interpolation in the record of rights pertaining to 530 acres of land in Scheme-33. His bail plea was dismissed by the trial court. Sub-registrar Mohammad Zafar Baloch, assistant mukhtiarkar Anwar Ali Panhwar and two tapedars are among the co-accused. Ex-minister Imtiaz Shaikh and his brother, Maqbool Ahmed Shaikh, have been named ?absconding accused? in the first information report.
According to the prosecution, bogus entries in the revenue record were made to misappropriate a vast tract of land. The last entry in respect of the land was made in 1930 in favour of a Parsi woman. There is no subsequent entry till 2004 when, without any ?fautgi? (death) record, the land was transferred in the name of alleged ?heirs?.
Arguing for the applicant DDO, Advocate Raja Qureshi submitted that his client was innocent as he had nothing to do with the alleged fabrication of record. He only passed on the documents received from mukhtiarkars to his superiors for further action. He could neither make any entry nor mutate property in favour of any heir or transferee.
Opposing the bail plea, Additional Advocate-General Sarwar Khan said the applicant was fully responsible for fake entries. It was his job to verify the record and documents before forwarding them to the higher authorities. Had he been vigilant, no fraud could have been committed by mukhtiarkars and tapedars right under his nose. The investigation period
Announcing his order reserved on Wednesday after detailed arguments, Justice Soomro observed that the Anti-Corruption Act, under which the applicant was being tried, allowed a 90-day period for investigation. An interim challan had been submitted in the case and many documents
were still to be recovered by the investigation and prosecution agency. Some of the co-accused were absconding. There was a prima facie case against the applicant as he was responsible for safe keeping of the manipulated record. There was nothing on record so far to show that he raised objection to the impugned transfer of land and the fake entries made in this regard, the order said.
ARREST WARRANT: Special anti-corruption judge Arjun Ram Talreja issued on Friday non-bailable warrants for arrest of Imtiaz Shaikh and Maqbool Shaikh. He dismissed sub-registrar Zafar Baloch?s bail application. Advocate Fiaz H. Shah earlier argued on his behalf that his job was confined to registration. He could neither fabricate revenue record nor make any transfer of land.
The judge adjourned hearing of the main case till March 14 at the request of Assistant Advocate-General Arshad Lodhi, who is appearing as a prosecutor in the case. AAG Sarwar Khan, the main prosecutor, Mr Lodhi said, was busy in Islamabad. Granting the request, the judge warned that no further adjournment would be allowed.
The anti-corruption court is seized of five cases involving bogus land transfers. District officer (revenue) Ali Akbar Hingoro, patwari Maqbool Ahmed Maher, Mehboob Shaikh and Hafeez Shoro and former mukhtiarkar Abdul Latif Brohi is among the accused.
Advocates Mohammad Nawaz Shaikh, Fiaz Shah and Farid A. Dayo are among the lawyers conducting the defence.
The deputy district revenue officer for Korangi Township, Ijaz Husain Baloch, is an accused in a case alleging fabrication, manipulation and interpolation in the record of rights pertaining to 530 acres of land in Scheme-33. His bail plea was dismissed by the trial court. Sub-registrar Mohammad Zafar Baloch, assistant mukhtiarkar Anwar Ali Panhwar and two tapedars are among the co-accused. Ex-minister Imtiaz Shaikh and his brother, Maqbool Ahmed Shaikh, have been named ?absconding accused? in the first information report.
According to the prosecution, bogus entries in the revenue record were made to misappropriate a vast tract of land. The last entry in respect of the land was made in 1930 in favour of a Parsi woman. There is no subsequent entry till 2004 when, without any ?fautgi? (death) record, the land was transferred in the name of alleged ?heirs?.
Arguing for the applicant DDO, Advocate Raja Qureshi submitted that his client was innocent as he had nothing to do with the alleged fabrication of record. He only passed on the documents received from mukhtiarkars to his superiors for further action. He could neither make any entry nor mutate property in favour of any heir or transferee.
Opposing the bail plea, Additional Advocate-General Sarwar Khan said the applicant was fully responsible for fake entries. It was his job to verify the record and documents before forwarding them to the higher authorities. Had he been vigilant, no fraud could have been committed by mukhtiarkars and tapedars right under his nose. The investigation period
Announcing his order reserved on Wednesday after detailed arguments, Justice Soomro observed that the Anti-Corruption Act, under which the applicant was being tried, allowed a 90-day period for investigation. An interim challan had been submitted in the case and many documents
were still to be recovered by the investigation and prosecution agency. Some of the co-accused were absconding. There was a prima facie case against the applicant as he was responsible for safe keeping of the manipulated record. There was nothing on record so far to show that he raised objection to the impugned transfer of land and the fake entries made in this regard, the order said.
ARREST WARRANT: Special anti-corruption judge Arjun Ram Talreja issued on Friday non-bailable warrants for arrest of Imtiaz Shaikh and Maqbool Shaikh. He dismissed sub-registrar Zafar Baloch?s bail application. Advocate Fiaz H. Shah earlier argued on his behalf that his job was confined to registration. He could neither fabricate revenue record nor make any transfer of land.
The judge adjourned hearing of the main case till March 14 at the request of Assistant Advocate-General Arshad Lodhi, who is appearing as a prosecutor in the case. AAG Sarwar Khan, the main prosecutor, Mr Lodhi said, was busy in Islamabad. Granting the request, the judge warned that no further adjournment would be allowed.
The anti-corruption court is seized of five cases involving bogus land transfers. District officer (revenue) Ali Akbar Hingoro, patwari Maqbool Ahmed Maher, Mehboob Shaikh and Hafeez Shoro and former mukhtiarkar Abdul Latif Brohi is among the accused.
Advocates Mohammad Nawaz Shaikh, Fiaz Shah and Farid A. Dayo are among the lawyers conducting the defence.