SHC dismisses bail pleas of accused in Rainee canal case

Karachi

The Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed bail applications of at least six officials of the revenue department and other private petitioners in the Rainee canal project corruption case, on Monday.

Petitioners Ali Dino Gahoti, Mohammad Aslam Lund, Gulsher Ahmed Solangi, Kashif Ayaz and Asif Ayaz, district revenue officer and private persons along with others were facing a corruption reference, filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), pertaining to irregularities in compensation payments of land meant for the Rainee canal project, causing an approximate loss of Rs4.93 billion to the national exchequer.

The petitioners’ counsel had sought confirmation of the interim pre-arrest bail arguing that none of the nominated officials had committed any act of corruption but had instead followed provisions of the land grant policy, 1989.

The court after hearing arguments of the counsel observed that there was sufficient material to support the prosecution’s arguments.  The court observed that beneficiaries especially Benamidars fuel corruption as they provide a means to hide ill-gotten wealth; if this vehicle of corruption was eliminated it would be much harder for corrupt officials to conceal their illegal wealth, consequently exposing or refraining them from indulging in such practices.

The court dismissed the pre-arrest bail and sent notice to private petitioner, Ayaz Rana, asking him to submit his reasons against the decision to cancel his bail specially since sufficient material regarding his involvement had been submitted. The court also directed the concerned accountability court to complete the trial of the reference within six months.

 

Detention cases

The SHC issued notices to the federal and provincial law officers on petitions against detention of citizens allegedly by law enforcement agencies’ personnel.

Petitioners Syeda Khadija Jabeen, Asma Bano, Ismail Khan, Sajjad Hussain, Nizamuddin, Asifur Rehman, Aneela and Sanaullah Narejo submitted in the petitions that police and personnel of law enforcement agencies picked Syed Mohammad Hussain, Umair Hussain, Asad Zaheer, Usman Khan, Raja Shafqat, Imran Ali Malik, Ali Rehman, Abdul Qayum and Attaullah from Malir, Clifton, Khokrapar, North Karachi, Scheme 33, Golimar and Bin Qasim areas and their whereabouts were since unknown.

They submitted that neither the police were disclosing their whereabouts nor were they being informed of the details of cases, if there were any, pending against them. They sought production of detainees before the court and sought details of cases against which they were picked up.

The court directed the federal and provincial law officers to file their respective comments after obtaining information from respective police and other law enforcement agencies regarding whereabouts of the detainees on the next date of hearing.