SHC dismisses bail plea of Sarim Burney in child trafficking case

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday dismissed a bail application filed by social worker Sarim Burney in a child trafficking case.

Burney was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency for his alleged involvement in child trafficking, cheating and other charges. According to the prosecution, the applicant and his accomplices knowingly and wilfully provided false information, made false declarations and concealed facts for handing over the custody of minors to foreign nationals who wanted to adopt them.

The trust had handed over babies to US nationals in exchange for a total of $6,000, without obtaining the consent or knowledge of their biological parents, the prosecution said. A counsel for the applicant submitted that the social worker was innocent and had been falsely implicated in the case.

The counsel submitted that the applicant had no knowledge about the minors in question, as he was the chairman of the Sarim Burney Trust that managed various departments, including adoption, job distribution and education.

He submitted that the case was registered five years after the incident. The counsel said the case did not fall within the prohibitory clauses and the sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act 2018 did not apply, as the necessary requirements of these sections had not been met.

The high court was requested to grant bail to the applicant as he was incarcerated in the prison for last six months. A state counsel opposed the bail application submitting that the prosecution had sufficient evidence to prove the guilt of the applicant and requested the SHC to dismiss the bail application. After hearing the arguments, the high court dismissed the bail application.