Carlton Hotel case: SHC issues contempt notices to DHA secretary, administrator

Judge also asks DHA officials to file comments by April 22.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued contempt notices on Friday to the secretary and the administrator of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) for their alleged defiance of the court’s order allowing the management of the Carlton Hotel to hold functions without any hindrance.

Justice Munib Akhtar, who headed the bench, also directed DHA secretary Brigadier (retd) Inam Bari and DHA administrator Brigadier Muhammad Abdullah to file their comments by April 22.

Syed Shahid, one of the directors of M/s Venus Pakistan, which owns the hotel established in the city’s upscale neighbourhood, went to court to initiate contempt proceedings against the respondents.

He told the judge that, during the hearing of the lawsuit against the takeover of the hotel premises by the authority on March 6, the court had ordered a senior representative of the plaintiff should be present when functions and banquets are held. This was meant to ensure that functions are held to the satisfaction of the person who makes a booking.

The court had further ordered that the presence of the plaintiff’s representative shall not be interfered in any manner by the DHA and the representative must be allowed access to the property, though only for a limited period as an interim arrangement.

When the manager of Carlton Hotel, Wajid Abbasi, went to the hotel on March 9, DHA officials stopped him from entering the premises even though they were shown a copy of the SHC’s order. Instead, the official said the authority’s administrator and secretary have especially said that the manager should not be permitted entry into the hotel, thereby committing contempt of the order of the court, argued Shahid.

He further informed that the manager also went to the Gizri police station to register an FIR against the DHA officials but they refused to entertain his request.

The court was pleaded to initiate contempt proceedings against the DHA administrator and its secretary for wilfully and deliberately committing contempt of the court order. It was also requested that the court order the attachment of the alleged contemnors’ properties and offices in addition to their detention in prison for such an act.

Justice Akhtar, after the initial hearing of the plea, issued contempt notices to the authority’s secretary and administrator for April 22, when they will also file their replies.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2014.