The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Monday the defence counsel to file the power of attorney in a petition appealing a military court's verdict against Lyari gang leader Uzair Baloch.
The accused's mother had filed an appeal in the court against the military court's verdict, which had sentenced Baloch to 12 years of imprisonment.
The court questioned the defence counsel as to why the power of attorney had not been filed by Baloch yet. The counsel replied that the accused's family had not been given access to meet him, while he was still jailed at Mitha Ram Hostel. He added that over 40 cases had been registered against Baloch.
The court directed the counsel to file a power of attorney on Baloch's behalf at the next hearing and adjourned the hearing indefinitely.
Baloch's mother had maintained in the plea that Baloch had been transferred from a military court to the Karachi Central Jail, but prison officials had denied them permission to meet him.
Moreover, she claimed, the prison officials had not provided them a copy of the military court's verdict, despite Baloch's transfer to prison. The petition further stated that the petitioner had written letters to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Chief of Army Staff and military courts seeking a copy of the decision.
It was Baloch's fundamental right to get the copies of the decision of the military court so that an appeal could be filed, she maintained.
The petition demanded that Baloch's sentence, awarded by the military court, should be revoked, requesting the court to order the provision of copies of the verdict and permission for the family to meet him.
Torture in judicial remand
Meanwhile, a two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Justice Shamsuddin Abbasi, summoned the prisons focal person at the next hearing of a plea pertaining to the alleged torture of the former Fishermen's Cooperative Society chairperson Nisar Morai in prison.
The petitioner, Dr Seema Nisar Morai, maintained that even though Nisar had been provided medical facilities, there had been no progress in the petition against the torture inflicted on him since October, 2019. The prisons department had requested an extension to submit a reply. The court summoned the prisons focal person on the next hearing and adjourned the hearing till September 30.
The petitioner had maintained in the plea that Nisar had been subjected to severe torture in prison during his judicial remand, demanding an inquiry into the matter.
Illegal appointments
Separately, a two-member bench, comprising Justice Nadeem Akhtar and Justice Mahmood A Khan, sought records from the petitioner in a plea pertaining to illegal appointments in the Sindh Local Government Department.
Directing the petitioner to obtain the record of appointments from the local government department and present it in court, Justice Akhtar remarked that the court would see whether or not the appointments had been made on the basis of merit.
The petitioner claimed that over 3,000 illegal appointments had been made in the Sindh Local Government Department, adding that illegally recruited employees were adjusted in other departments.
Justice Akhtar asked the petitioner to elaborate on his complaint and inquired how he found out about the illegal appointments. The petitioner replied that he came to know about the illegitimate recruitment following reports published in newspapers.
Justice Akhtar said that newspaper reports could not be substantiated in court and hence the recruitment records should be presented first.
The court adjourned the hearing indefinitely.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2020.
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