Two months on, IO yet to file charge sheet in Dr Birbal murder case

Despite the lapse of more than two months since the murder of former senior Karachi Metropolitan Corporation official and eye specialist Dr Birbal Genani, the investigating officer is yet to file an interim charge sheet in the high-profile case.

Dr Birbal was shot dead by armed motorcycle pillion riders in an attack on his car in the Garden area on March 30. His assistant, Quratul Ain, also suffered firearm injuries in the attack.

When the case came up for hearing before the judicial magistrate (South), the investigating officer was called absent. The IO, however, showed up later after the magistrate expressed annoyance over his no-show despite having been issued a show-cause notice over his misconduct and directed him to appear immediately, according to the complainant’s lawyer Salahuddin Panhwar. The IO sought more time for the submission of the charge sheet.

Panhwar stated that the magistrate had issued a show-cause notice to the investigation officer at the previous hearing over his misconduct but he failed to file any reply to it. He said the police did not seem interested in arresting the murderers of Dr Birbal, adding that the IO submitted an interim charge sheet with the prosecution department for scrutiny that raised many objections on it, which showed his seriousness about investigating the high-profile matter. He lamented that the police had made no progress in the case despite the passage of significant time.

Adjourning until June 15, the magistrate gave the IO the last chance to file the charge sheet on the next date. He was told to submit a reply to the show-cause notice as well. An FIR was registered under sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Dr Birbal’s brother Revo Genani.