Showing posts with label SHC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SHC. Show all posts

Bail granted to accused in KU admissions scam

(GNN) - KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday granted bail to the imprisoned former Karachi University (KU) examinations controller, Intisarul Haq, arrested in connection with the fake MBBS admissions scam of 2000.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Shahnawaz Tariq, announced the judgment and approved Haq’s bail against the surety of Rs 100,000 cash or personal recognizance bond.

While disposing of the bail plea of the applicant, the bench also ordered the trial court to pass judgement in the case on its merits without being influenced by the observations of the high court.

Haq, confined in the prison, had moved bail application through his lawyer, Shaukat Hayat. He submitted that he was appointed as KU examinations controller in November 2002 whereas the NAB had initiated the inquiry into the alleged illegal admissions of 38 students in the Sindh Muslim College between 2000 and 2001.

Hayat informed the judges that his client was suffering from serious heart ailments, chronic diabetes and hypertension and that his doctors have recommended that he be admitted to the hospital for treatment.

He also submitted that the co-accused Sindh Muslim College ex-vice principal Prof Dr Syed Naseerudin, who has also been granted bail before arrest, be treated on the same footing.

NAB, during prosecution, accused Haq of the illegal admissions along with the former programme coordinator Abdul Hadi Siddiqui and the former administration assistant Alauddin.

It was also argued by Hayat that no role has been assigned to the applicant by the prosecution, which has recorded the statements of 25 prosecution witnesses but only one of them stated that the forms were initiated by the applicant and forwarded to the deputy controller.

Opposing the bail plea, the additional deputy prosecutor general of NAB said while dealing with the question of bail the SHC has to consider the grounds mentioned in the Section 497 of Criminal Procedure Code.

The petitioner is nominated in the reference and a clear cut case under Section 9(a) of the NAB Ordinance 1999 is made out against him, the prosecutor claimed.

NAB prosecutor said the co-accused Dr Shamsher Ali and SMC ex-vice principal Dr Syed Naseerudin, were granted pardon under Section 26(a) of NAB Ordinance.

Published in GNN, Tribune, AIP, July 12th, 2014.

Cable operators do not have authority to shut channels: SHC

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday observed that cable operators did not have the authority to shut channels on their own directives.
The SHC has hearing eight petitions related to the closure of Geo News by cable operators. The case was heard by a two member SHC bench comprising Justice Muneeb Akhtar and Justice Shafiq Siddiqui. Justice Muneeb Akhtar remarked that under Article 19 freedom of press could not be ignored. He added that it was the right of every Pakistani to have access to information and this was an issue of human rights not just the closure of a channel.

Justice Muneeb Akhtar asked the lawyer for cable operators how could PEMRA ordinance or any laws violate the fundamental rights of citizens.

The SHC observed that freedom of expression and press would not be violated under the constitution. Justice Muneeb Akhtar asked what had been done by PEMRA for the restoration of Geo News which was the most popular channel in the country.

The lawyer for PEMRA informed the court that the regulatory authority had taken action and issued show cause notices to cable operators.

Meanwhile the lawyer for Geo, Jam Asif informed the court that the SHC and Supreme Court had issued verdicts against the closure of Geo News.

The court has issued notices to Attorney General Pakistan and other parties for August 6 and directed PEMRA to submit its written comments. The order further states that PEMRA should ensure that cable operators do not restrict freedom of expression.(GNN)(THENEWS)(AIP)

Appointment to SHC: Judicial commission meets today to consider 10 names

http://www.gnnworld.tk/2014/05/appointment-to-shc-judicial-commission.html
Those nominated include five district and sessions judges. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
KARACHI: The judicial commission will meet today in Islamabad to consider the appointment of 10 judicial officers as lawyers as additional judges to the Sindh High Court, Tribune has learnt.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani will preside over the meeting, which will also be attended by the federal law minister, the attorney general, SHC chief justice Maqbool Baqar and the provincial advocate-general.

Currently, the high court has a working strength of 29 judges against the sanctioned strength of 40. According to officials, SHC CJ Baqar had forwarded the names of 10 judicial officers and lawyers to fill the vacancies as additional judges for a period of one year.

Those nominated include five district and sessions judges – Abdur Rasheed Soomro, Abdul Ghani Soomro, Saghir Zaidi, Lal Mohammad Khairo and Ghulam Qadir Leghari. The lawyers include former SHC Bar Association secretary Shahab Sarki, Iqbal Kalhoro, Advocate KK Agha, Amir Raza Naqvi and Hasan Akbar.

The judicial commission is set to meet today in Islamabad to ponder over the names. “Once the judicial commission approves the names, they will be sent to the parliamentary committee on the appointment of judges to the superior courts to give its consent,” said an official. “Afterwards, the names will be sent to the president for approval on the advice of the prime minister.”
Last year, eight additional judges were appointed to the high court for a period of one year with a view to overcome the dearth of workforce in the superior judiciary of the province.

Retiring in the future
The SHC will lose seven judges in the next five years, unless service periods of some of the additional judges are extended. SHC’s Justice Nisar Muhammad Sheikh will retire on November 17 this year, while Justice Hasan Feroze’s retirement is due on August 1, 2015.

SHC’s pusine judge Justice Faisal Arab is also due to retire on November 11, 2017. However, there are chances of his elevation to the apex court.

In year 2017, the SHC is set to lose another three judges – Justice Sadiq Hussain Bhatti, Justice Syed Muhammad Farooq Shah and Shahnawaz Tariq. Justice Abdul Rasool Memon will retire in 2018.

Published in GNN & Tribune, May 8th, 2014.