SHC orders police to submit challan in May 9 rioting cases

Individuals not listed in FIR were detained, say petitioners

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered the IO to submit a challan to the relevant court regarding the bail applications of the suspects detained in connection with the May 9 rioting.

Appearing before a two-member bench, comprising Justice Agha Faisal and Justice Abdul Mubeen Lakho, the public prosecutor confirmed the receipt of the challan in the cases. However, Justice Faisal inquired, "Has the challan been submitted to the court?" The public prosecutor submitted that the challan had not yet been delivered to the relevant court.

Hafeezuddin Advocate, the petitioner's attorney, raised concerns about the omission of his client's name from the FIR. He emphasised that despite the three-month period, the deadline for submitting the challan is a mere 14 days.

Consequently, the court directed the IO to promptly submit the challan to the relevant court. The court then adjourned the hearing of the petition for two weeks.

During the previous hearing, the lawyers representing the petitioners expressed dismay over the release of individuals named in the FIR following a press conference. Conversely, individuals who were not even listed in the FIR were detained.

Troublingly, some of the apprehended individuals were held in locations where no attack had occurred. For example, Javed Ali was arrested by the Korangi police, while his brother remains in custody. Moreover, individuals unrelated to the events of May 9, such as Muhammad Bilal and Muhammad Ali, were detained by the Taimuria police. Since May 10, several citizens have been held in detention.

Meanwhile, another SHC bench issued an order for the Anti-Corruption Establishment to investigate allegations of bribery in land grab cases.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2023.