Concealing SHC orders: CEO Faisal Cantonment issued show-cause notice

KARACHI: A civil judge and judicial magistrate issued a show-cause notice to Chief Executive Officer of the Faisal Cantonment, Karachi, Rana Khawar for allegedly concealing the Sindh High Court orders, restraining him (Judge) for performing his duties and detaining him in his office on the premises of the Faisal Cantonment.

CEO Khawar has been directed by the judge to appear in court in person and submit his reply that why criminal proceedings should not be initiated against him. According to the contents of the official show-cause letter issued by Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate Shahrah-e-Faisal East Rana Saifullah Hassan (copy of which is available with ‘The News’), it was stated that on December 04, 2020, during the court proceedings he (CEO Khawar) and his office deliberately and intentionally concealed and suppressed the order passed by the Sindh High Court in a constitutional petition D-132 of 2019 in which the the CEO was restrained to take any coercive action against the shop owners of the Millennium Mall, Gulistan-e-Johar with regards to the claim of conservancy tax.

The letter added that since CEO Khawar and the staff of the legal branch of the Faisal Cantonment Mukhtiar and Rana Nazim on behalf of Khawar dishonestly made the false claim in his court that there was no restraining order for the claim of conservancy tax by the Sindh High Court that necessitated the judge to issue distress warrants against the shop owners of the Millennium Mall.The letter further said when the judge received information regarding the order passed by the Sindh High Court, he immediately recalled the previously passed adverse order then the staff of the legal branch, including the court bailiff Zohaib Jamal and other two named above, illegally restrained the undersigned from acting in conformity with the order passed by Sindh High Court and criminally intimidated the judge.

The judge was wrongfully restrained from discharging his lawful duties and not allowed to have access to the computers and printer for passing appropriate order and even not allowed to leave the premises of the Cantonment Board Faisal.The judge in his show-cause notice concluded that the above series of acts on the part of CEO Khawar amounts to contempt of lawful authority, obstruction of process of justice and failing to assist a public servant from performing his lawful duty.

This reporter approached the management of the Faisal Cantonment for its official version, sent a detailed e-mail at the official address of the Faisal Cantonment, but till the filling of this story, no reply has been sent.