Scrutiny of journalists accreditation cards ordered by Sindh Court

The Sindh High Court's circuit bench in Hyderabad has dismissed a constitutional petition filed by 23 individuals claiming to be journalists, who sought allotment of residential plots in the Journalists Colony earmarked for members of the Hyderabad Press Club on the basis of accreditation cards.

In its detailed judgment, the court ruled that the Journalists Colony was specifically allocated for residential purposes of Hyderabad Press Club members and that the petitioners had failed to establish any legal or equitable right to claim plots therein.

The division constitutional bench, comprising Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon and Justice Riazat Ali Sahar, announced the verdict after reserving its decision on December 9. The judgment, authored by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon, was released on Monday.

The court also issued strict directions to the Sindh Information Department to constitute divisional, regional and provincial accreditation committees in accordance with Rule 3 of the Sindh Government Accreditation Rules, 2010. It ordered that accreditation cards be issued strictly to genuine, full-time working journalists, photographers and cameramen, and directed that no accreditation card be issued independently or in violation of the prescribed procedure.

During the hearing, Hyderabad Press Club president (respondent No. 6) was represented by Barrister Jawad Ahmed Qureshi, while Assistant Advocate General Sindh Rafiq Ahmed Dahri also appeared before the court.

The petitioners - including Jehangir Ali, Muhammad Salman Sheikh, Ishtiaq Hussain, Muhammad Faisal and others - had claimed they were working journalists associated with electronic and print media in Hyderabad but were excluded from the allotment list as they were not members of the Hyderabad Press Club. They challenged the allotment process and sought directions for allocation of plots to them.

The court noted that in 2009, the Sindh government had leased 75 acres of land for 99 years to the Hyderabad Press Club in Deh Ganjo Takar, Taluka Latifabad, for the establishment of the Journalists Colony. The land was meant exclusively for Hyderabad Press Club members and eligible beneficiaries were categorized accordingly.

Rejecting the petitioners' claims, the court observed that they were not members of the Hyderabad Press Club and had even formed a parallel body, the "National Press Club," in June 2023 with the alleged aim of misleading authorities. The judgment noted that the deputy commissioner Hyderabad had already rejected the registration of the said body, citing intimidation of officials and unethical conduct.

The purpose of the petitioners was to acquire property through unfair means. The bona fide journalists would lose their rights if the plots meant for them were allotted to vested interest.

Concluding that the petitioners had failed to prove any lawful entitlement, the court dismissed the petition and upheld the existing allotment framework.