Representational image. PHOTO: REUTERS
In addition, the two-member bench, comprising Justice KK Agha and Justice Muhammad Saleem Jessar, also summoned the public health engineering secretary and DMC West chairperson in personal capacity.
At the hearing, the court inquired of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) managing director (MD) whether KWSB had cut off all illegal connections in Malir and laid water pipelines in the area. The MD replied that the department of public health engineering was to lay the pipelines in the area.
The public health engineering secretary, however, failed to appear before the court. The court expressed annoyance over his absence, at which it was informed that the secretary couldn't attend the hearing as he was busy attending a meeting at the Chief Minister (CM) House.
Later, the court rebuked the officials of DMC West for not paying water bills, adding up to Rs5.2 million.
The court stated that contempt of court proceedings would be initiated against the DMC if the bills were not cleared by the next hearing. It ordered the DMC to pay all outstanding bills within a week and summoned public health engineering secretary and DMC West chairperson in personal capacity at the next hearing on March 27.
Stay extended
A bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed extended the stay on a notification of the law department, issued to terminate additional advocate generals and assistant advocate generals of Sindh, including Ghulam Mustafa Mahesar.
Sindh Advocate General Salman Talibuddin maintained before the court that employees at the advocate general's office had been collecting their salaries for the past four months and the department was bound to pay them salaries due to the stay on the notification for their termination. "Their dues can be cleared only after they resign and they will be terminated, as per the cabinet's directives, expected to be issued in the near future," he explained.
Advocate Abid Zuberi maintained that the authority to terminate officials was transferred from the governor to the chief minister, claiming that the move was based on "mala-fide intention."
At this, the court sought a written reply from Zuberi on government's behalf.
The court extended the stay on the notification issued to terminate additional advocate generals and assistant advocate generals, seeking arguments from the counsels at the next hearing on March 11.
Land occupation case
Meanwhile, the court directed East District DIG Amir Farooqi to submit reply on a plea pertaining to the illegal occupation of land in Scheme 33 within three weeks.
The plea stated that land mafia illegally occupying the land has police officials' backing and a case against the accused was registered when Farooqi was approached to resolve the matter. The plea moves the court to stop police officials from harassing people into giving up their land.
A contempt of court notice has already issued to Farooqi, yet he didn't appear before the court at the hearing.
Commenting on Farooqi's absence, the counsel for the petitioner said, "Is police's job to ignore court orders?"
The court remarked that the police could not ignore judicial orders.
Farooqi's counsel, however, sought an extension for submitting the reply.
Accepting his request, the court granted a week's extension.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2020.
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