The Sindh High Court directed on Wednesday the Thatta deputy commissioner (DC) and SSP to appear before the court in a personal capacity at the next hearing of a plea pertaining to a rising trend of boats capsizing in Keenjhar Lake.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed, was hearing the plea, where the petitioner, Nadeem A Shaikh, claimed such incidents occurred regularly at the popular tourist spot.
He informed the court that one such incident took place three years ago while the most recent incident on Monday claimed the lives of 10 people.
Shaikh claimed there were no rules or regulations for offering boat rides at Keenjhar Lake, with as many as 50 people allowed to board a single boat together for Rs50 each.
Expressing annoyance at the Thatta DC and SSP, the court sought a report regarding the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and progress in the investigation into boat rides at the lake.
"Why don't authorities investigate how 20 people boarded a boat with the capacity of four passengers?" asked Justice Mazhar, adding that the capsizing of boats was the local administration's failure.
When the government lawyer voiced grief over the recent tragedy, Justice Mazhar remarked that offering condolences would make no difference and inquired why the judicial orders passed in 2017 had not yet been implemented.
"The government should have made security arrangements and deputed additional police personnel at the lake to keep a check on the boats' condition and the number of people boarding them," he observed.
Adjourning the hearing until August 27, the court directed the Thatta DC and SSP to appear in a personal capacity at the next hearing.
Memon put on ECL
Meanwhile, a separate bench, comprising Justice KK Agha and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi, approved the interim bail of former provincial minister Sharjeel Inam Memon in an assets beyond means reference, while directing the authorities to include the accused's names on the Exit Control List (ECL).
The court lashed out at the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) investigation officer (IO) for failing to provide a satisfactory reply or present the actual documents.
"You do not know the basic information and the difference between a filer and a non-filer, despite being an IO," remarked Justice Agha, addressing the IO.
The court inquired about the documents of a farmhouse, to which the case's major allegations were connected.
"If this is the standard of investigation, then there should be an investigation against you as well," stated Justice Sangi.
The IO offered an apology to the bench, but Justice Mazhar responded that they would only accept documents, not apologies.
The court directed Memon to submit a surety of Rs4 million against the confirmation of his interim bail and accepted the pre-arrest bail of another accused, his mother Zeenat Inam, against the surety of Rs1 million. It also directed the authorities to include the accused's names on the ECL.
The accused also include Zeeshan Agha Inam, Shaukat Thebo, Waseem Akhtar Thebo, Subhar, Izhar and others.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 20th, 2020.
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