SHC directs officials to release salary of missing cop

Justice Kalhoro says that the police constable has been missing for 14 months

KARACHI:

Sindh High Court has ordered the authorities to release the salary of a sacked police constable at the next hearing on a petition regarding his disappearance.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro heard the petition regarding the disappearance of police constable Syed Khurram Shah.

The petitioner said that his son, police constable Khurram Shah, was complainant in the murder case of his slain brother Ali Hasnain Shah. He has been missing since February 8, 2021.

Deputy Advocate General stated that Shah had been transferred and he did not join the police station of his posting. A show cause notice was issued for not joining his duty.

Justice Kalhoro remarked: "How can a person join his duties when he is missing? How could he respond to the show cause? At first, the investigation officer repeatedly asked the court for respite. Now you are saying that he was terminated from his service. When it is known that the petition for the disappearance of the employee is pending before the court, then how was he dismissed from service?"

The court was angry with the police and the Sindh government over the dismissal and withholding of salary of the missing police constable.

Justice Kalhoro said that the police constable has been missing for 14 months. During the disappearance of the police constable, a show cause notice was issued and his salary was stopped and then he was fired. "What kind of justice is this? Are the courts not functioning in the country? Have the top police officers established a state within a state? Police DIGs do not do their duty themselves and are an example of incompetence. Instead of searching for the missing constable, they stopped his salary and fired him. What will happen if we stop the salary of this DIG? Top police officers have failed in their duties. No one had any idea how the missing person would respond to the show cause notice. The appeals against his dismissal were rejected," Justice Kalhoro remarked.

The court remarked that at the next hearing, the salary of the dismissed officer should be released and a report should be submitted. If the court orders are not complied with by May 11, the DIG will be summoned.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2022.