CJP to hear nine public interest cases today at SC's Karachi Registry

Civil society's appeal in Shahzeb murder case included in cases being taken up at SC's Karachi Registry

KARACHI: A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC), headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, will hear today (Saturday) different public interest cases, including civil society's appeal against suspension of sentences of Shahrukh Jatoi and others in the Shahzeb Khan murder case.

The bench also includes justices Faisal Arab and Sajjad Ali Shah. The hearing will be conducted at the SC's Karachi Registry on a Saturday - a day when no judicial work is traditionally done in the courtrooms.

Nine cases, including suo motu actions and human rights applications, are fixed for hearing.

The office has fixed the human rights applications relating to blockade of the public thoroughfares for VVIP movements, admissions in private medical colleges and poor conditions of the public hospitals in the province and marine pollution due to discharge of untreated toxic and hazardous industrial and domestic waste into the sea.

The bench will resume hearing on a petition regarding non-supply of clean drinking water, deteriorating sanitation conditions and its impact on the environment across the province.

The apex court will also hear a human rights application relating to deficiencies in the production, processing and packing of packed milk in the province.



Civil society's appeal challenging the Sindh High Court's order of setting aside the conviction and sentences of Shahrukh Jatoi and three others is also fixed for hearing.

Rights activist Jibran Nasir and others had appealed against the high court's November 28, 2017 order that declared a 20-year-old student's murder case does not fall within the ambit of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Thus, it had ordered re-trial of the case by the ordinary - sessions - court instead of the special - anti-terrorism - court.

Judicial sources said the apex court's registry office had already issued notices to the deputy attorney-general, provincial chief secretary, provincial advocate-general, health secretary and other authorities concerned for appearance before the court today.



They added that the officials concerned had also been directed to submit their respective reports in the matters.