Senior officer to monitor Baldia trial

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered on Wednesday the additional deputy IG Karachi range to appoint a well-reputed, senior officer to monitor the trial of the Baldia factory fire that killed 259 workers in 2011.

A division bench, headed by SHC Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar, passed this direction during the hearing of identical petitions seeking judicial inquiry into the tragedy that would fix the responsibility of the incident. The decision on whether or not the deaths inside the locked factory amount to 'criminal negligence' of the owners or 'intentional murder' is pending in court. Since the investigation in the case has concluded and a challan has been submitted, the evidence is to be recorded now, said the bench, ordering a senior officer to monitor the trial.

The bench also directed the provincial secretary for workers welfare fund to disburse Rs103.6 million provided to it by its federal counterpart among the families. It also directed the SESSI to obtain the addresses of the 11 survivor families from the SHC official to give them compensation.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2014.