SC displeased by police habit of declaring cases ‘A-class’

The judges were irked by the Karachi police chief for presenting an incomplete report

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) rejected on Thursday a report submitted by the Karachi police chief relating to targeted killings taking place in the city since 2000, in which the culprits remain 'untraceable'.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, ordered Additional IG Mushtaq Mahar to present a detailed report of all the cases declared A-Class in the last 15 years in Karachi. The apex court's bench, which also comprised justices Amir Hani Muslim and Maqbool Baqar, was hearing a suo motu case regarding the lawyers' targeted killings at the SC Karachi Registry.

The legal fraternity had filed an application, pleading the apex court to order the provincial government authorities to provide security to practicing lawyers and arrest their killers. During the last hearing, the judges had ordered the Karachi police chief to submit a detailed report about all the cases relating to targeted killings that his force had declared A-class or untraceable.

During Thursday's proceedings, Karachi AIG Mushtaq Mahar presented a report showing progress in all the cases relating to lawyers' murders.

Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali observed, however, that most of the cases were declared A-class by police investigators. "The court had sought details of all the cases that the police have declared A-Class,"  CJ Jamali told AIG Mahar. "But the report carries only those related to lawyers' killings."

The judges recorded their displeasure over the manner in which the Karachi AIG had presented an incomplete report to the court. Justice Ameer Hani Muslim told AIG Mahar that there were hundreds of cases which had been declared A-Class by the police.

He scolded the police chief over the manner in which they declare any case untraceable instead of going after the culprits. "Three to four days after the registration of an FIR, the case is put into A-Class category and sent into 'cold storage'," he said. The bench ordered the Karachi AIG to present a detailed report of all the A-Class cases since 2000 in Karachi and adjourned the hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2015.