High-handedness: SHC CJ takes notice of ‘illegal’ detention of woman by police

Khairpur police had taken the woman and her minor child into custody after failing to arrest her husband

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Faisal Arab has taken notice of the unlawful detention of a woman and her minor child by Khairpur police from a house in Karachi.

The notice was taken on an application submitted by a junior clerk of the SHC, Zainul Abideen Shaikh, seeking recovery of his sister and her three-year-old child from the illegal custody of the Gambat police.

The applicant alleged that the police, at the behest of Gambat police DSP, Gul Hasan Jatoi, had raided his sister's house and taken her away along with her minor child. Police were asked to release the detainees but they refused to do so, he stated.

CJ Faisal Arab was requested to order the police authorities to release the detainees, who were being kept in illegal confinement. Taking notice on the application, the SHC CJ sought a report from the Karachi Additional IG, Malir SSP, Khairpur SSP and Gambat DSP on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Karachi AIG submitted his report through the Legal AIG. The report said that the SSPs of Malir and Khairpur had been directed to produce the detained woman and her minor child. He assured that all efforts will be made to arrest the culprits.

Khairpur SSP told the court that the Gambat DSP and his team had travelled to Karachi and raided the house to arrest an absconding accused, who is the husband of the detained woman. He said the police had raided the house of the absconder whose brother, Abdul Baqi, had given information regarding his whereabouts. On the lead, police raided a house but the accused escaped, said the officer.

Converting the application into a constitutional petition, CJ Faisal Arab directed his office to fix the same before the bench headed by him [chief justice] for further proceedings.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2015.