SHC seeks details of action against cops patronising Gutka sellers

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday directed the Sindh police’s legal department to submit details of action against the cops involved in patronising Gutka and Mainpuri sellers.

Hearing a petition seeking ban on the sale and manufacture of Gutka and Mainpuri, a single bench of the high court headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar asked the DSP legal about the action taken against police officers and personnel who had been patronising those selling the hazardous substances.

The DSP legal undertook to file a report with regard to action taken by the internal bureau of Sindh police against police officials involved in such illegal activities. The high court was informed that the government had already passed legislation to ban the sale of Gutka and Mainpuri, and amendments to the law recommended by a committee had been examined by the law and home departments.

A provincial law officer submitted that the secretaries of the law and home departments had done all the homework before putting a summary in this regard before the provincial cabinet. The home department officer submitted that the summary had been vetted by the provincial cabinet and now it was to be placed before the provincial assembly for legislation.

The high court appreciated the efforts of the stakeholders who understood the miseries of the families whose members suffered from health issues caused by Gutka and Mainpuri in the province.

The high court observed that it was expected that the chief secretary and home department would pursue that such amendments were placed before the provincial assembly for approval in accordance with the law.

The SHC also issued notices to the social welfare secretary with a direction to depute any additional director of the department to inspect the premises of the applicant who had submitted that her two brothers Naseem Haider and Saleem Haider had died due to the consumption of Gutka and Mainpuri.

She had submitted that the families of her brothers were in a miserable state as both had three daughters each and she was now responsible for the welfare of their families who were destitute and had no source of income.

The bench directed the social welfare secretary to submit a report after the inspection of premises of the families and submit a proposal for the welfare of the minors and family members of the deceased men.

The high court had earlier observed that as per doctors, the primary reason behind the prevalence of mouth cancer in Pakistan was the use of Gutka, Mainpuri and Mawa. The high court had also expressed concern over a report filed by the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre’s (JPMC) cancer ward incharge last year, which states that as many as 18,614 cancer patients received treatment at the JPMC during the last five years, of whom 9,453 cases had mouth cancer.