KARACHI, Sept 1 A division bench of the Sindh High Court asked the district police officer of Badin to produce a list of cases registered or being probed against Kamran Khan Tessori and any of his relatives.The order was passed by Justices Khilji Arif Hussain and Bin Yamin, who constituted the bench hearing a petition moved by Mst Zaitoon Begum, maternal grandmother of Kamran Tessori, alleging harassment of the Tessori family members. She submitted through Advocate M. Ashraff Kazi that Kamran was once kidnapped and his jewellery showroom on Zebunnisa Street had to be shut down. Other members of the Tessori family were also being harassed by registration of bogus criminal and corruption cases against them, the petitioner further alleged.

The division bench that initially heard the petition sought record of cases from the police and the anti-corruption establishment and ordered the law enforcement agencies to act strictly in accordance with the law. The Saddar Town police officer informed the bench that no case had been registered against the Tessoris in any police station of the town. The district police officer of Badin, where Kamran was said to have been taken during his captivity for production before a police officer, was also asked to inform the court if any case against the Tessoris was pending in the district. He sought time and the bench adjourned the hearing to Sept 22.

Bail declined

Justice Ali Sain Dino Metlo, meanwhile, refused bail to an accused standing trial for attempting to smuggle out dollars to Bangkok. About $47,500 were recovered from him when he was about to board a flight to the Thai capital.Appearing for applicant Mustafa, Advocate Salahuddin Gandapur argued that the offence was punishable with imprisonment for three years and the accused would not evade the trial. Special prosecutor Ali Nawaz Khan Marwat said the offence carried a jail term of 14 years. No body could take more than $10,000 outside Pakistan and if the accused were treated leniently, there would be massive flight of precious foreign exchange from the country.

Dismissing the bail, the judge, however, directed the trial Customs Court to conclude the proceedings within a month.

Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, meanwhile, asked former police inspector Mohammad Arshad Butt to surrender before the Moro sessions court that was trying him in an attempt-to-murder case.

Butt was posted at the Baldia police station when he went to Moro in 2004 at the head of a police party to catch hold of certain accused involved in a murder attempt within the remit of his police station. He arrested the accused at Moro but they were freed by their friends and relatives with the help of the local police after an encounter.

A case was registered by the Moro police against him and other police officials involved. Butt fled the scene and was subsequently declared an absconder by the additional district and sessions judge trying the case against him at Moro. He sought to surrender before the high court to obtain protective bail but was told to surrender before the trial court.