Govt lawyers told to file comments on Punhal Sario’s ‘detention’ on Oct 17

The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed federal and provincial law officers, the provincial police chief and other respondents to file comments on October 17 on a petition against the alleged illegal detention of a civil rights activist by personnel of law enforcement agencies.

The petitioner, Sughra Sario, submitted that her spouse, Punhal Khan Sario, a rights activist and convener of the Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh, had allegedly been picked up by law enforces on August 3 in the  Qasimabad area of Hyderabad.

A day before being whisked away, her spouse had announced a protest rally for the recovery of missing persons, she said. Her counsel said that neither the law enforcement agencies, including the police, were disclosing the whereabouts of the detainee nor were details of cases, if any, were being provided to the family. He requested the court to direct the law enforcement agencies to produce the detainee and provide details of cases if any against him. 

The Qasimabad station house officer filed comments on the petition, denying the arrest or the detention of Sario. The federal and provincial law officers sought time to file comments. A division bench, headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, granted the lawyers time to file comments on October 17.  

Plea against FIR 

The Sindh High Court issued notices to the Model Colony SHO and other respondents on a petition of the K-Electric CEO against the registration of an FIR against him over the death of a child from electrocution.

K-Electric CEO Tayyab Tareen approached the court against the case registration order issued by a district court against him and his company’s management over the death of eight-year-old boy Azaan in Model Colony.

The district court had directed the SHO to register a case for negligence on the part of the power utility’s CEO and other officials of the management, which allegedly led to the death of the boy due to electrocution in the recent heavy rains in Karachi.  

The family members of Azaan alleged that the K-Electric failed to take precautionary measures to protect the citizens from electrocution during the recent rains.  The counsel for the power utility submitted that the FIR could not be registered against the CEO; however, if any other officer was responsible for negligence, then action would be taken against him. He requested the court to set aside the sessions court’s order.