Court halts ‘illegal’ construction in KMC’s housing society

Issues stay order, seeks records from the society's administration while hearing the plea of over 30 persons

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court directed that illegal construction be halted immediately in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) United Workers Cooperative Housing Society and issued a stay order on Friday while hearing the plea filed by over 30 persons who have been allotted housing in the area. A two-member bench, comprising Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Kausar Sultana, heard the plea.

Advocate Usman Farooq maintained that the petitioners have all the documents including the sub-lease allotment papers and transfer letters but the land mafia colluded with police officials and occupied the allotted plots. He told the court that the mafia is so influential that it has begun construction on the allotted plots and argued that the petitioners and their families would be left homeless if the plots aren't vacated by the land mafia. The counsel prayed the court that the allotted plots be returned to the owners and the illegal occupation be removed.

The issued a stay order and sought the records of allotted plots from the housing society's administration within 10 days.

Sentence annulled

Meanwhile, a two-member bench comprising Justice KK Agha and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi accepted the appeal of Muhammad Ashiq, convicted for the murders of four persons, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MPA Manzar Imam.

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The prosecution failed to provide evidence before the court for the maintainability of the death sentence awarded to the convict. The court annulled his sentence and directed Ashiq's release from jail. According to police, the murders were committed in 2013 and Ashiq was convicted by the anti-terrorism court (ATC).

Ranjhani murder case

Another two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Justice Abdul Mobeen Lakho, dismissed the bail plea of Rahim Shah Union Council Chairperson in Irshad Ranjhani's murder case.

At an earlier hearing, a witness had stated before the court that five bullet shells were found at the crime scene but the accused had confessed to firing four bullets. The witness had said that Ranjhani was lying on the road in a pool of blood and Shah had prevented people from helping him. People had made videos of the scene which were now part of the case.

The bench was also informed that Shah's bail plea has been dismissed twice by the trial court and also by the SHC earlier as the evidence against him was strong. The counsel of the accused maintained before the court that his client opened fire on Ranjhani to defend himself. According to the FIR registered for the murder, Shah opened fire on Ranjhani and a video showing Ranjhani in injured condition went viral on social media.

the additional input from PPI 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2019.