Sindh

No ‘coercive’ action against cattle traders, orders Sindh High Court

A group of eight traders of sacrificial animals had gone to court against the KMC, the Malir DMC and others.

Our Correspondent September 17, 2014

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) restrained the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), the Malir district municipal corporation (DMC) and police on Tuesday from taking any coercive action against the traders of sacrificial animals.

A group of eight traders of sacrificial animals had gone to court against the KMC, the Malir DMC and others. They submitted that they have set up their business at Road No 9, Bhains Colony, Bakra Mandi in the Bin Qasim Town in District Malir. They said they are regularly paying the utility charges and the entry fee on arrival of the animals to the cattle market. However, the petitioners added, some officials belonging to the KMC and the Malir DMC came on September 10 to harass the petitioners, demanding that their illegal demands be fulfilled.

The petitioner further stated that the officials clearly threatened the petitioners to either pay ‘bhatta’ to them or face the consequences, which include the illegal demolition of the cattle market by the KMC and DMC authorities.

They alleged that the respondents, who have no right or authority to blackmail the citizens, are not allowing the petitioners and other businessmen to run their business without the fulfilment of their unlawful demands.

Their lawyer, Nehal Hashmi, argued that the officials are misusing their powers by demanding that their unlawful demands be fulfilled.

The petitioners appealed that the court declare that the respondents have no authority to illegally demolish the cattle market or interfere with peaceful business of the petitioners. It was also requested to permanently restrain the KMC, DMC, Malir police and other authorities from registering false FIRs against the petitioners or threatening them.

A division bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, therefore restrained the KMC, the Malir DMC and the Malir police from taking any coercive action against the traders.

Moreover, the bench ordered that specific persons should appear before the court on September 19 to explain the allegations of the petitioners. These persons include representatives of the commissioner office who must not be below the rank of the additional deputy commissioner.