Encroachment case: SHC issues show-cause notice to Sindh IG

The appellant moved a miscellaneous application to initiate contempt proceedings against SBCA, police authorities

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Tuesday a show-cause notice to Sindh IG Ghulam Hyder Jamali to explain why he may not be proceeded against for contempt of court over non-compliance of it's order.

A division bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, was hearing an appeal in a case related to encroachments on the land belonging to the Pakistan Railways Cooperative Housing Society.

The housing society's management had approached the high court against the private builders, who had allegedly encroached four acres of the land near Aziz Bhatti Park in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The appellant stated that the builders' mafia had taken over the land illegally.



The judges were informed that on September 29 this year, the court had ordered the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and others to stop the illegal constructions. The police officials were also directed to retrieve the land in question from the encroachers.

During the proceedings on Tuesday, the appellant moved a miscellaneous application, pleading to initiate contempt proceedings against the SBCA and police authorities for not complying with the court's directives. The court was informed that the relevant officials had deliberately committed contempt of court and it was pleaded to initiate contempt proceedings against all those responsible for non-implementation of the court's order.

Taking notice of the officials' conduct towards the lack of implementation of the court's directives, the judges summoned IG Jamali and additional IG Mushtaq Maher, to personally appear in the court and explain why the order had not been implemented. They ordered the advocate general to ensure the appearance of IG Jamali.

A law officer, Ghulam Mustafa Mahesar, informed the court that the IG was appearing before the Supreme Court on Tuesday in Islamabad. But the additional IG and DSP Mazhar Alvi appeared before the court and acknowledged before the judges that the court's order was duly received in their offices. The bench members adjourned the hearing till November 11 and ordered that the IG's response should be placed on record within a week's time.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2015.