Taking serious exception to the absence of deputy home secretary and DIG South, the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday issued them notices to explain as to why proceedings for disobeying court orders should not be initiated against them.
A division bench had taken up a petition filed by an NGO – United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s secretary general Rana Faizul Hasan – against encroachments on the city’s roads, particularly Saddar Town.
The SSP South submitted a report detailing the action taken against the SHOs for not ensuring removal of encroachment from their respective areas of the police stations. He also annexed the photographs of the areas where action for removal of encroachment was taken.
The judges said despite issuance of notices neither the deputy home secretary nor the DIG south showed up. The provincial law officer told the bench that he had intimated the IG and the home secretary regarding its order.
The bench observed that their non-appearance appeared to be contumacious. It ruled, “Let notices be issued to both explaining as to why proceedings for disobeying directions of this court should not be taken against them.” In case of further disobedience, it warned that the home secretary and the IG will have to appear before this court on December 18, 2014.”
The petitioner had submitted that shop owners, roadside vendors, operators of illegal parking and inter-city bus terminals have encroached upon the roads in collusion with local administration and the area police.
He said the areas of the city Regal Chowk, Akbar Road, MA Jinnah Road, Shahrah-i-Liaquat, Pakistan Chowk, Ranchhore Line, Abdullah Haroon Road, Zaibunnisa Road, New MA Jinnah Road were encroached upon but civic administration did not take action.
During the previous hearing, the court had directed the DIG and the SSP South to ensure that amongst the SHOs who fail to remove encroachments and comply with the legal command should no longer be posted at any of the police station and besides disciplinary proceedings on account of their incompetence should be initiated against them.
