SHC orders CS to submit undertaking on 29th
RECORDER REPORT
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday displeased over Chief Secretary Sindh for not submitting undertaking that no officer, who had entered into a plea bargain would be given any posting and ordered him to submit the same on May 29 when the court would resume hearing on the case.
The two-member bench of the SHC comprising Justice Mohammad Kalhoro and Justice K K Agha took exception to non-submission of personal undertaking of Chief Secretary and called him to the rostrum to explain his position vis-à-vis his undertaking.
The bench asked the Chief Secretary why he didn’t submit the undertaking despite the court’s orders. “Who is Mehdi Shah who confesses the corruption and then succeeds in getting the posting”, Justice K K Agha inquired and asked Chief Secretary to read reply of Mehdi Shah.
When the Chief Secretary read the reply of Medhi Shah in response to show-cause notice issued to him, the bench pointed out that in one paragraph, Mehdi Shah confessed about committing the corruption and in other paragraph he absolved himself of such wrong doing.
The Chief Secretary told the court that he recommended demotion of Medhi Shah by one grade whereas Sindh Chief Minister imposed a penalty of withholding his three increments when court sought the details about punishment to Mehdi Shah.
Who is a relative of Mehdi Shah in Sindh government? Curt inquired and said that why he was appointed Secretary Workers Welfare Board after found to be committing corruption. Mehdi Shah returned Rs 2.1 million, the Chief Secretary told the court. Justice Agha remarked that court ordered to award maximum punishment to the corrupt officials rather than giving them minimum punishment.
Additional Advocate General submitted before that court the Supreme Court has yet to specify the punishment about officials who are found to be indulged in embezzling less than Rs 2.5 million. The Supreme Court ordered that officials involved in less than Rs 2.5 million corruption should not be terminated until it gave the final verdict.
Additional Advocate General Malik Naeem also expressed reservations about the hearing of a case, which pertained to bail application but court sought the details of those, who voluntarily returned the looted money. He also challenged the court’s domain to hear the cases, who voluntarily returned the looted money after entering into plea-bargain with National Accountability Bureau.
Responding to reservations of Additional Attorney General, court directed him to come up with his arguments and the bench would hear them.
Court directed Sindh Chief Secretary to submit the undertaking in person that no officer, who had entered into a plea bargain, would be given any posting by May 29 by putting off the hearing.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday restrained Clifton Cantonment Board (CBC) from taking action against a private hotel in Do Darya area of the city until May 31.
The court took up the case against CBC action to seal a hotel over non-payment of property tax in April this year. Petitioner argued that CBC sealed the hotel in April on non-payment of property tax whereas under 18th amendment, the powers of collection of property tax rest with the provincial governments not with the federal government and its departments.
Petitioner prayed that action of CBC, which is a federal government department to seal the hotel, should be declared illegal. Court after hearing the arguments directed CBC not to take action until May 31 when tit would resume the hearing.
