SC seeks Centre’s report on action taken against errant senior cops

The Karachi registry of the country’s top court directed the federal government on Thursday to submit a report within a fortnight on the action taken against senior police officers involved in illegal appointments and misconduct.

Hearing the petition of the Sindh police against reinstatement of officers who were removed from service, the Supreme Court’s two-member bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed asked the home secretary what action was taken against officers with patchy service records.

The government official told the top court that disciplinary action was initiated against 25 DSPs, whose cases were received from the chief of the provincial police (IGP).

The home secretary’s report stated that major and minor penalties were awarded to 11 DSPs, while disciplinary proceedings against four DSPs were withdrawn by the police chief in the light of the ADIG’s inquiry report. The government official’s report also mentioned that proceedings against five DSPs were disposed of by the police chief, while cases of five DSPs were pending.

The court said government officers were public servants and they should not become public masters, adding that there was discrimination between police officers and police personnel in awarding punishments.

The bench said that all police officers and personnel should be treated equally in their disciplinary proceedings, and that senior officers could not be condoned because of their ranks. The IGP’s statement said misconduct reports against 25 grade-17 officers were transmitted to the home secretary’s office for initiating departmental proceedings, adding that misconduct reports against 35 officers of grade-18 and above were sent to the chief secretary’s office for initiating departmental proceedings.

The 35 officers are facing charges of illegal appointments, misappropriating funds, influencing local police for demolishing historical buildings in Saddar, illegal gratification, harassing businessmen, unauthorised deployment of police personnel as guards to civilians, misappropriating investigation funds, patronising illegal activities such as smuggling of Iranian oil and other contraband items.

The report said former Sukkur DIG Capt (retd) Feroz Shah was involved in malpractices and patronising illegal activities in Sukkur Zone such as smuggling of Iranian oil and other contraband items.

Thirty-one DSPs posted in different areas of the province are facing charges of illegal appointments, forgery, misbehaviour with public, giving benefits to the accused, absenteeism, intoxication, no-show in high court, illegally unsealing filling station, distorting facts in charge sheet of murder cases during PS-81 by-election, embezzling case properties in City Court Malkhana, misbehaviour with police personnel over registering cases against friends, misusing power due to matrimonial affairs, making irresponsible security arrangements for Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s Urs, restraining Chehlum procession in Khairpur, collecting money from immoral businesses, facilitating girl’s murder, illegal encroachment of plot in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, illegally detaining citizens to receive bribes and ruining murder case investigations.

The report also said 1,780 suspected cases of police personnel of BS-5 to BS-16 were accorded personal hearing by the scrutiny committee of the police, adding that 19 cops were dismissed from service, 130 forced to retire and 12 voluntarily retired, while cases of 17 personnel were pending and six personnel were already dismissed out of 184 cases.

The police chief said the remaining police personnel were cleared of suspicion of having patchy records because they were found involved in minor departmental misconduct and absenteeism, so lenient view was taken by the committee in their cases.

He told the court that there was no discrimination in taking or initiating action against delinquent officers, saying that action against them was initiated without any delay. The court then directed the federal government to submit a report within two weeks on action taken against senior police officers, including former IGP Ghulam Haider Jamali, Training DIG Shahab Mazhar Bhalli and Addl DIG Aitezaz Ahmed Goraya, whose cases were sent to the establishment division for disciplinary proceedings.