Rao Anwar's house as sub-jail: SHC directs Sindh home secretary to submit reply by 20th

The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed Sindh Home Secretary to submit the reply by June 20, 2018 on the petition field by Naqeebullah's father, who challenged provincial government's notification declaring suspended SSP District Malir Rao Anwar's house a sub-jail. Anwar and his subordinate policemen were booked for murdering young Naqeebullah Mehsud along with three others in a fake police encounter on January 13 in Karachi.
A division bench of SHC headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh resumed the hearing on the petition after it had issued notices to Advocate General Sindh, Home Department Sindh and others to file their comments in the last hearing.
At the outset of the hearing, court inquired from public prosecutor about the law under which the house of Rao Anwar has been declared sub-jail and questioned how many others were given the same facility by Sindh Government in the past.
"Where is Home Secretary Sindh," Chief Justice asked and put off the hearing for some time by immediately summoning him to appear in the court to appraise the bench about the law under which Sindh Home Department notified house of Rao Anwar as sub-jail.
Petitioner submitted in the court that home department issued impugned notification with malafide intention as Anwar is the only under-trial prisoner, whose own house has been declared a sub-jail.
Petitioner's counsel Faisal Siddiqui pleaded that this notification is illegal and prayed that this should be declared null and void as it is unconstitutional, without jurisdiction, malafide and of no legal effect. The accused should be shifted to jail, counsel stated.
Secretary Home Sindh Shahid Pervez arrived in the court when it resumed the hearing on the petition. Secretary Home sought some time to submit the written reply in the court when the bench inquired about the law notifying Rao Anwar's house as sub-jail.
CJ SHC accepted the plea of Secretary Home by directing him to submit the reply by June 20, 2018 by putting off the hearing. Court ordered Secretary Home to strictly follow the deadline and warned that if the reply was not submitted in the next hearing, court give its decision in the light of available record.
Meanwhile, Sindh High Court (SHC) reserved the decision on a petition filed for transferring the case of murder of former Managing Director KESC Shahid Hamid from Court 17 to Court 05. The petition was filed by widow of former MD KESC.
Court reserved the judgment on the petition after hearing the arguments from both parties. Counsel of petitioner Mushtaq Jahangiri Advocate pleaded that hearing of the murder case should be shifted to court 5 as the case was heard in it previously and it is well versed with the nitty-gritty of the case.
He told the court that Saulat Mirza was hanged in this case after he was proven guilty in this murder case whereas other accused Ghufran Mehbub and Minhaj Qazi were arrested later.
Defence counsel Mushtaq Awan Advocate opposed the transfer of the case and prayed before the court that the plea doesn't hold any ground. Court reserved the judgment on the petition after counsels from both sides concluded their arguments.