SC seeks report on operation of ‘malkhanas’

KARACHI:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought a report on the procedure of operating the malkhanas in a month. Malkhanas are the warehouses of the courts where case property or items of evidence are kept.

The bench also summoned the in-charge of prisons and the advocate general of Sindh regarding an appeal against the reinstatement of an officer, who had been suspended for stealing 60 tolas or 699.82 grammes of gold from the malkhana in Mirpurkhas.

The appeal was heard before a bench headed by Justice Qazi Faiz Isa at the Supreme Court Karachi Registry.

During the hearing, Justice Isa observed that all the institutions have been destroyed systematically. "Gold went into the pockets of the police and the case was marred. Everyone here thinks that the government is in my pocket," Justice Isa observed.

"Now why are people wasting their time by filing such appeals? Theft of case property from treasuries is a very serious matter," the apex court judge observed.

The public prosecutor argued that Head Constable Ali Asghar Leghari was accused of stealing 60 tolas of gold. "The treasurer in-charge was dismissed but the court restored him. If the accused is technically acquitted, he cannot be reinstated," the public prosecutor contended.

Justice Isa remarked, "Did you see the observation of the Sindh High Court? The court gave observations regarding the whole department, but did you do anything? Did you make any inquiries on the judicial observation?"

"Case property theft from warehouses is a very serious case. Sindh IGP and Advocate General can also be called. This is a matter of public interest, take it seriously," Justice Isa remarked, adding the case property theft has serious consequences for cases. The top court sought details of all the malkhanas across the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2022.