Bill presented in PA to ban Gutka and Mainpuri, high court told

The Sindh government has presented a bill in the provincial assembly with regard to banning the manufacture and sale of Gutka and Mainpuri, the provincial law officer told the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday.

The court had directed the government to file comments with regard to the promulgation of the law that banned the manufacture and sale of Gutka and Mainpuri across the province on a petition filed against the manufacture and sale of Gutka and Mainpuri in District Thatta.

Additional Advocate General Javed Dero said the provincial government has presented a bill in the PA, adding that discussion on the bill for prohibiting the preparation, manufacture, storage, sale and use of Gutka and Mainpuri will be started in the next session of the legislature.

Officers of different police stations filed their compliance reports in which they said that a campaign had been launched against Gutka and Mainpuri manufacturers and sellers, and that legal action had been initiated against them.

The officers assured the court that they were already making all the best possible efforts as well as seizing injurious items, including Gutka, Mawa and Mainpuri, from different shops.

The SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar directed the police to submit their progress reports as well as ensure that action was taken against the people involved so that the menace could be controlled.

Honour killing case

The SHC set aside the conviction of a man in a case of honour killing. Habib Ahmed was sentenced to death by the central sessions court after finding him guilty of murdering Mohammad Ajmal in 2011.

According to the prosecution, the appellant had killed Ajmal in the name of honour and later buried him in a graveyard. The appellant’s counsel filed an appeal against the conviction and said his client was falsely implicated in the case, as no sufficient evidence was produced against him by the prosecution to prove the guilt.

After the perusal of the evidence and hearing the arguments in the case, the court set aside the trial court’s verdict and ordered that the appellant be released if not required in other cases.