SHC grants bails to former MQM leader, party worker

Approves bails of Salman Mujahid, Shakir Langra against sureties of Rs25,000 and Rs1m, respectively

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court granted on Tuesday protective bail to former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Salman Mujahid Baloch in more than 20 cases and approved the bail of MQM worker Muhammad Shakir alias Shakir Langra in a separate case.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Justice Irshad Ali Shah, approved Baloch's protective bail against a surety of Rs25,000, while ordering him to appear before a trial court.

Baloch has been declared absconder by an anti-terrorism court and is also wanted in hate speech cases registered against MQM leaders.

Meanwhile, a bench comprising Justice KK Agha and Justice Saleem Jessar granted bail to Langra, accused of being involved in illegal occupation of amenity plots.

The court approved his bail against a surety of Rs1 million.

Langra, along with Feroz Bangali, Arif Khan, Nasir Ali, Arif Hussain Naqvi and others, is nominated in a reference pertaining to illegal occupation of amenity plots in Surjani Town. The accused are said to have occupied a playground in the area and sold another 281 amenity plots, causing a loss of Rs168 million to the national exchequer.

Inquiry against SSP

Another two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed, restricted the Sindh government from carrying on with the inquiry against Shikarpur SSP Dr Rizwan until the next hearing of a petition challenging the inquiry and ordered Sindh Advocate-General (AG) Salman Talibuddin to submit a reply on the inquiry at the next hearing.

During the hearing, Justice Mazhar remarked that the inquiry against the SSP was being carried out in accordance with the police law, adding that the SSP had initiated an inquiry without informing the Sindh IGP.

Addressing the petitioner's counsel, the court stated that the Sindh government had the right to initiate a departmental inquiry against any official found to be violating of the law.

Later, Sindh AG informed the court that no FIR was registered against the SSP and only a departmental inquiry was launched against him. He requested for more time to submit a reply on the inquiry.

The court ordered him to submit the reply at the next hearing on April 1 and barred the Sindh government from carrying on with the inquiry against the SSP until then.

Arguments sought

At another hearing, a two-member bench, comprising SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Shaikh and Justice Omar Sial, sought arguments from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor and the accused's counsel on the bail plea of Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani's family members, nominated in an assets beyond means reference.

During the hearing of the bail plea of Durrani's wife, Naheed Khan Durrani, his daughters, Sonia Durrani, Shahana Durrani and Sara Durrani, and son, Shahbaz Durrani, the counsel for the accused argued that his clients had surrendered before an accountability court and a reference against them was filed as well.

Extending the accused's bails, the court ordered the NAB prosecutor and the accused's counsel to present arguments on the bail plea at the next hearing on May 6.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2020.