Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh on Tuesday ordered release of 16 poor people, including women and children, after recovering them from illegal custody of two landlords of Gujrat district.
They were working as bonded labourers without any pay and remuneration.
The court passed the order on a habeas petition filed by Shaukat Hayat against influential landlords Chaudhry Khalid and Chaudhry Zafar for recovering 16 persons, including eight children and four women.
The petitioner contended that the landlords had detained them unlawfully for the last two years and did not even pay their wages. He said when the detainees demanded their wages, the landlord punished them by shaving their heads, eyebrows and moustaches.
The judge had appointed a bailiff who on Wednesday last visited Gujrat and after recovery produced them before the court.
LHC JUDGE REFUSES TO HEAR CASE AGAINST KHOSA: Justice Sheikh Ahmad Farooq of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday refused to hear a petition, praying to set aside orders by additional district and session judge (AD&SJ) to SHO Race Course to register FIR on application of ex-chief minister Dost Khosa against Misal Khan, the father film star Zeba Khan alias Sapna Khan, for allegedly keeping his ex-wife in illegal custody.
Justice Farooq referred the petition to Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed for fixation of the cases Misal Khan. In his order, the judge said, “For personal reasons, I am not inclined to hear this. Hence, office is directed to fix the petition before another bench after soliciting appropriate orders from the chief justice.”
The petition was filed by Misal Khan through his counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique, challenging the order of AD&SJ Ch Nazir Ahmed to SHO Race Course to register FIR against him on application of Dost Khosa.
The petitioner submitted that Khosa could not seek recovery of his former wife Sapna Khan; therefore, the orders of AD&SJ should be set aside, while the counsel for Khosa sought directives for registering a FIR against Misal Khan.
AYESHA MALIK’S CASE HEARING POSTPONED TILL JAN 11: A local court on Tuesday adjourned till January 11 the hearing of a petition of Ayesha Iqbal, daughter of PML-Q ex-MNA Ahad Malik, seeking court orders for registration of theft case against her maid Loyre-Bcog, a Filipino.
Additional District and Sessions Judge (AD&SJ) Aziz Ullah passed the orders for further arguments by both the parties.
Requesting the court for registration of FIR, Ayesha said the maid was involved in a theft in her house and trapped her in a fake case of kidnapping with instigation of PML-N MNA Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, who was her undeclared husband.
She also said Philippines owed her an amount of Rs 2.1 Million which they had borrowed from her during their service in her house. She prayed the court to pass order for FIR against Loyre-Bcog and her accomplices as they had committed theft at her house in Defence housing society.
FEDERAL TAX OMBUDSMAN’S ORDERS SUSPENDED: The Lahore High Court has sought a report and para-wise comments from the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) and also suspended his orders dated 21.12.2011 on a writ petition that has assailed legality and validity of his orders for issuing contempt of court notices.
In their constitutional petition, the aggrieved Judicial Member Income Tax Appellate Tribunal SJ Khan and Accountant Member MB Tahir have called in question the legality and validity of the orders passed by the FTO, whereby they had been served with show cause notices an alleged contempt arising out of their orders passed by them while sitting and discharging the function of the Appellate Tribunal Revenue Lahore Bench.
Hafiz Tariq Nasim Advocate contended that the show-cause notices issued to the petitioners were illegal and without jurisdiction and rather had offended section 16 (i) of the Contempt of Court Ordinance 2003 that already stood validated under article 270AA of the Constitution.
The court also directed that a copy of the writ petition be handed over to the deputy attorney general for seeking instructions and assist the court on next date of hearing.
KOT LAKHPAT VEGETABLE TRADERS’ PETITION DISPOSED OF: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday disposed of a contempt petition against non-compliance of court orders for opening entry and exit points of Kot Lakhpat Fruit and Vegetable Market.
Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah was hearing the contempt petition filed by traders, Abdul Rasheed and others, against Assistant Commissioner Model Town Lahore Irfan Memon, TMO Gulberg M Tahir and Secretary Market Committee Mian Waheed for not demolishing the walls, earlier erected by the local government at entry points to the market for letting traders do their lawful business at the place.
During the proceedings, the local commission, appointed by the LHC, submitted his report in about the matter and verified that the walls closing entry and exit points of market had been removed by the TMA Gulberg as per the court orders and the traders were free to do their lawful business within the market’s premises however fruit and vegetable hawkers are not allowed to sell their items outside the market’s boundary walls as was the culture hitherto. AC Model Town and Secretary Market Committee, who were present in the court assured, that no illegal steps would be taken against traders.
