HYDERABAD: Court rejects Arbab’s plea

Published November 9, 2002

HYDERABAD, Nov 8: The district and sessions judge, Hyderabad, Parkash Lal M. Ambwani here on Friday rejected an application filed by the counsel of the MNA-elect, Arbab Ghulam Rahim, in a judicial probe.

The judicial probe was ordered against the MNA-elect by the circuit bench of the Sindh High Court in an alleged case of violence and harassment.

The counsel had filed an application on behalf of Arbab Ghulam Rahim asking the court’s permission to cross-examine the witnesses and the complainant after the completion of the examination-in-chief.

The court rejected the application, observing that since the inquiry was ordered by the Sindh High Court, the findings of the probe would be sent to SHC and there was no need for any advocate to appear in the proceedings.

The police officials, including the district police officer, Tharparkar at Mithi, the Taluka police officer, Mithi and the SHO of the Diplo police station, filed their statements before the district and sessions judge.

They denied charges levelled against them in the constitutional petition, filed by Ghulam Mustafa Lund and Mubarak Lund.

The DPO said that he had never visited the area of complainant and that a police contingent had proceeded to the scene of the crime on the night of Aug 16 and Aug 17 on the request of the SHO of the Diplo police station.

He said that no illegal step was taken against the petitioners, adding that they had never been harassed.

The TPO Mithi, Sobhnekchand and SHO Diplo police station said that the police force had reached the crime scene under the directives of the DPO to maintain law and order but denied that the force had committed any unlawful act as has been stated by the petitioners.

They contended that it was, in fact, a land dispute between the Samoon and the Lund tribes over eight acres of land.

The TPO accused Ghulam Mustafa Lund, Mubarak Lund and 21 others of having attacked the complainant besides issuing threats of dire consequences.

He said that Mubarak Lund had also resorted to aerial firing.