Federal, Sindh govts put on notice over plea against raid on software house

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to a federal law officer and the Sindh advocate general on a software company’s petition against the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) inquiry and raid at its office.

The petitioner submitted that it was a registered information technology company providing different services in the IT sector. The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the FIA conducted an illegal raid at the office of the company on the basis of false and fabricated complaints without any lawful warrants.

The SHC was told that the FIA later registered a case against the company on forgery, money laundering and other charges under the Prevention of the Electronic Crimes Act. The counsel submitted that under the guise of investigation, the FIA had subjected the company employees to harassment and their equipment had been unlawfully taken without the due legal process and it had become impossible for the petitioner to carry out its lawful business.

The SHC was requested to declare the FIA inquiry on the basis of false complaints as unlawful and a violation of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. The petitioner also sought a court direction to restrain the FIA from causing harassment to its employees and staff.

A division bench of the high court headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto after the preliminary hearing of the petition issued notices to the federal and provincial law officer and called their comments on January 27.