SSP served court notice over Irfan Laghari’s burial

KARACHI: District and Sessions Judge Naushahro Feroze, Nadeem Badr Qazi, has issued a “show cause” notice to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Naushahro Feroze, Bashir Ahmed Brohi, over the alleged misinterpretation and misapplication of a judicial order regarding the burial of slain nationalist worker Irfan Laghari.

According to an official letter SSP Brohi has been asked to explain why he failed to comply with a clear court order issued on May 24, 2025, in response to a miscellaneous criminal petition No. 2025/295 filed by Advocate Zahid Ali Shah.

The order had stated that the body of Irfan Laghari should be handed over to his legal heirs or, alternatively, to a recognised NGO. However, the court noted that SSP Bashir Brohi “knowingly” failed to comply with the directive, nor did he produce any official record to prove that the deceased’s heirs had refused to receive the body. The notice further accuses SSP Brohi of falsely implying on social media and to the press that the court had declared the body as “unclaimed” and authorised the police to bury it without consent from the family -- a claim the court strongly denies.

The notice added that in reality, the court never declared the body as unclaimed, nor did it give the police any authority to carry out the burial without coordination with the heirs.The judge deemed this act as a deliberate misrepresentation of judicial proceedings and a serious breach of lawful conduct. Due to these actions, the SSP has been issued the show cause notice under Sections 166, 174, and 176 of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with Sections 155(c) and (d) of the Police Order 2002.

The court has asked the SSP to submit a written reply and personally appear on May 29, to present his defence. “Failure to comply will be interpreted as an inability to defend the actions, potentially leading to disciplinary or legal action.

The case stems from the controversial handling of the body of Irfan Laghari, who was reportedly injured by police firing at Moro, district Naushahro Feroze, and later died at Civil Hospital Hyderabad. As per details Hyderabad Police took the custody of the body and handed it over to Naushahro Feroze Police which under the “misinterpretation” of sessions court’s order buried it in Moro without consent of legal heirs.