SHC allows urgent hearing of plea against FIRs over wrong-way driving

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday issued notices to the Sindh advocate general and prosecutor general on an application seeking quashing of FIRs against drivers on wrong-way driving.

The petitioner, organisation Pasban-e-Pakistan, through its president Altaf Shakoor submitted in the petition that the Karachi traffic police was illegally arresting drivers of different vehicles on charges of wrong-way driving.

He submitted that due to illegal orders of the Sindh home department and provincial inspector general of police, the traffic police issued challan to 4,765 persons and imposed a total fine of Rs1,146,650 on them and also handed over 163 persons to the relevant police stations after registration of FIR against them for wrong-way driving.

A counsel, Irfan Aziz, submitted that the police had registered 184 cases against citizens till January 18 who alleged drive wrong-way and such cases had been increasing day by day. He submitted that despite the registration of several FIRs over wrong-way driving in Karachi, not a single such FIR was lodged in other districts of Sindh.

He submitted that the police and traffic police had themselves encroached upon the entire city by putting and constructing illegal kiosks on roads, footpaths, roundabouts and road divisions and they had also given permission to the encroachers to put their handcarts on roads and footpaths, for which they received hundreds of thousands of rupees on a daily basis.

He submitted that the infrastructure of Karachi had been worsening with every passing day and almost every road was dilapidated. The petitioner took the stance that the police, traffic police, other security agencies and ministers used the wrong side of roads but not a single challan or FIR had been lodged against the high-ups.

He submitted that cases could not be registered against the citizens without ensuring a proper road infrastructure. The high court was informed that the traffic police and traffic engineering bureau had completely failed to discharge their duties of controlling traffic on the roundabouts and placing traffic signs and signals on places where they were needed.

The SHC was requested to direct the police and traffic police to immediately withdraw the FIRs lodged for wrong-way driving under the section 279 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The petitioner request urgent hearing of the application, which was granted. A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro issued notices to the advocate general and prosecutor general and called their comments on next date of hearing.