Baldia fire case: Court orders jailer to present factory owners

Superintendent issued show-cause notice to submit a reply and bring the suspects to the court on October 23.

KARACHI:

The central jail superintendent has been told by a court to explain why he failed to produce the Baldia garment factory owners in court on Tuesday.

Ali Enterprises owners, Shahid Bhaila and Arshad Bhaila, the factory’s general manager, Mansoor Ahmed, and security guards Fazal Ahmed, Ali Muhammad and Arshad Mehmood were to appear before the Judicial Magistrate West to testify in the factory fire case, relating to the death of 259 people on September 11.

On Tuesday, the defence lawyers said that the court had issued production orders for the suspects but the jail authorities didn’t bring them to the court. The lawyers had requested the court to take action against the jailers.

The case investigation officer told the court that an application has been filed in a sessions court to allow interrogation of the suspects. The investigation cannot proceed without the court’s decision on the application. The officer requested the court to grant more time to submit the final charge-sheet.

Judge Sohail Ahmed Mashori issued the show-cause notice directing the superintendent to submit a reply and bring the suspects to the court on October 23. He granted the investigating officer, Jahanzaib Khan, seven more days to submit the challan.

The judge also directed the DIG police to supervise the case personally.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2012.