SHC restrains Sindh govt from coercive action against SSP Shikarpur

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday restrained the Sindh government from taking any coercive action against SSP Shikarpur Dr Rizwan Ahmed and directed it to submit a detailed report about the inquiry against the police officer.

The direction came on a petition against initiation of inquiry against SSP Shikarpur by the Sindh government. The petitioner had submitted that the Sindh government had ordered an inquiry against SSP Shikarpur without the consent of IGP Sindh and requested the court to set aside the notification as unlawful.

The SHC’s division bench, headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, inquired the provincial law officer as whether the IGP Sindh was aware of the inquiry and how many inquiries were pending against other police officers on public complaints.

The court also inquired if the chief minster was authorised to order an inquiry against a senior police officer. The provincial law officer submitted that the inquiry was initiated on various complaints and inquiry committee had completed its fact finding and now only the report is awaited.

He said the chief minister has the power to order an inquiry against police officers being the chief executive of the province. The law officer informed the bench that so for neither a show cause notice nor any action was taken against the SSP Rizwan. The court directed the provincial law officer to submit comments on the petition and in meantime restrained the provincial government from taking any coercive action against the SSP Shikarpur until further orders.