SHC seeks comments from KMC on plea against ‘award of contracts without procurement rules’

The Sindh High Court on Monday directed the KMC and others to file comments on a petition against the allocation of contracts in different union councils without following the public procurement rules.

The direction came on a petition of United Friends Contractors Association, which challenged the award of certain contracts by the KMC in different union councils without adhering to public procurement rules.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that various works orders were issued in February 2023, which administrative approval were made in August 2023 by passing the procurement process in schemes and rules framed under the law.

He submitted that contracts were being awarded to blue- eyed individuals though there was no urgency to bypass the scheme as envisaged under the law of procurement. The counsel also sought a restraining order against the award of the contract, submitting that alleged work orders were issued without complying the procurement rules.

He claimed that the illegal act of the KMC was directly affecting the contractors, including the petitioners, who were being discriminated with regard to rehabilitation, development and improvement projects of the province. He requested the court to restrain the award of such contracts which was issued without fulfilling the codal formalities of public procurement rules.

The counsel for the KMC sought time to file comments on the petition as well as on a stay application. A high court division bench headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui directed the KMC to file comments on the petition and stay application by November 5.

Separately, the Sindh High Court directed the FIA to carry out an inquiry with regard to defamatory material on a social media group of a private school but directed the investigation officer to not take any coercive action against the woman petitioner. The direction came on petition of a woman, who moved the court against the FIA inquiry with regard to a cybercrime offence on social media platform of a private school.

Petitioner Fadieleh Adnan challenged the FIA inquiry which was initiated on a complaint of a parent of a student against her, alleging that she issued defamatory words against his daughter and family and incited other members of the private school’s WhatsApp group to act against them.

The counsel for the intervener submitted that the FIA was being restrained from continuing its inquiry by some forces in the garb of court orders. The court observed that it had not stopped the FIA from conducting the inquiry in the matter and directed the investigation officer to continue the inquiry without any hindrance, but no coercive action may be taken against the petitioner.