Court corner:

LHC postpones Saif Tiwana’s disqualification plea

LAHORE: An election tribunal consisting of Justice Mian Hamid Farooq of the Lahore High Court on Monday postponed until December 5 a petition seeking the disqualification of Member of the National Assembly Saifullah Tiwana. The petition was filed by Malik Shabbir Awan, who lost the elections at Khushab NA-70 to Mr Tiwana. He submitted that Mr Tiwana was not a graduate at the time of the elections and should be disqualified. The court allowed Mr Awan’s request for verification records from the Punjab University and ordered him to submit a list of staff members who would be called to testify that Mr Tiwana is not a graduate. —Staff Report

— orders SP to investigate rape claim

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the Chinniot Superintendent of Police (SP) to investigate allegations that the Chinniot Police head constables gang-raped a girl and locked her family up in detention for 45 days. LHC Judge Sheikh Abdul Rashid told the SP to take action against the police officials if they were guilty. Petitioner Ehsan’s counsel MD Tahir told the court that he (Ehsan) named Sher Muhammad and two others of the Jat clan in the first information report for the murder of his brother Ata Muhammad in last July. The accused were released by the police due to their influence in the area. He said the police officials also humiliated them for daring to register a case against the Jats, a caste considered superior to them. The petitioner said the police called Ata Muhammad’s daughter Bakht Bibi, along with her relatives Sheikh Ahmad and Riaz Ahmad and others and jailed them. The petitioner alleged that Ms Bibi was kept in illegal custody for five days during which she was gang-raped by Head Constables Nusrat Gulotray and Amjad. The petitioner alleged that on their release after 45 days, Sheikh Ahmad and Riaz Ahmad asked the SP to register a case against the cops, but he did not listen to them. —Staff Report

— issues notice to NAB chairman

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday issued notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman on a writ petition challenging the arrest of Waris Ali, once personal staff officer (PSO) to former livestock minister Arif Nakai. The court directed NAB’s counsel advocate Ali Tipu Khan to appear next week after consulting the NAB chairman. Earlier, Waqar Mir, another counsel for the NAB, told the court that the accused illegally made Rs 15 million while the PSO to Mr Nakai when Mr Nakai was the livestock minister. Mr Ali’s counsel advocate Fawad Chaudhry said Mr Ali had deposited the amount asked by NAB. “But NAB has again arrested my client and that is illegal,” Mr Chaudhry said. He asked the court to issue orders to release Mr Ali. —Staff Report

— bails petitioner on medical grounds

LAHORE: The Appellate Division Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday granted bail to Mirza Mehboob Alam on medical grounds. Mr Alam through his advocate counsel Mushtaq Ahmad Chaudhry said he was a heart patient and was due to undergo a by-pass surgery so he should be released. Bail was set at Rs 500,000. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Mr Alam for alleged corruption worth Rs 800,000. Mr Alam’s lawyer said he had been found innocent in eight departmental inquires. The court noted that NAB had failed to arrest 13 of the 15 people accused in the case. —Staff Report

— refuses bail to PARCO case accused

LAHORE: The Accountability Division Bench of the Lahore High Court on Monday rejected a bail application from Patwari Muhammad Hanif, one of the accused in Pak-Arab Refinery Company (PARCO) land reference. He told the court that he had nothing to do with the PARCO scam. The court said Mr Hanif had fraudulently claimed to have a power of attorney over Rashid Ahmad and Faqir Hussain. He allegedly used this to win Rs 4.3 million in damages from PARCO by falsely claiming that the company’s pipeline on Mr Ahmad and Mr Hussain’s land had destroyed crops. Mr Ahmad and Mr Hussain apparently knew nothing of the claim. Land acquisition collector Amjad Hussain Sandal, the main accused in the PARCO reference, is alleged to have fraudulently drawn payments from PARCO for laying a gas pipeline through his land. —Staff Report

— acquits two of murder

LAHORE: A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Monday acquitted two people of murder, setting aside a sessions court verdict. The sessions court had sentenced Babar Kamal and Abdul Razzaq to death for kidnapping and killing Hafeez Akhtar’s husband after not receiving the ransom money. Their accomplice Zahid Umar was given life term. Toba Tek Singh Saddar Police Station booked them in 1998. —Staff Report

Wattoo’s appeal postponed

LAHORE: The Appellate Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday postponed until next week the hearing of former Punjab-chief minister against his conviction in a petrol pump case. His lawyers Chaudhary Mushtaq Ahmad and Rana Arshad submitted that Mr Wattoo was given 20 months in prison and fined Rs one million by an accountability court for making allotment orders that were never implemented. —Staff Report

Plea on MPs’ salaries re-filed

LAHORE: A local lawyer has re-filed a petition in the Lahore High Court challenging 100 percent and 50 percent increases in parliamentarians’ salaries and allowances respectively. The court office had earlier asked petitioner MD Tahir to attach a copy of the notification announcing the raise. The petitioner argued that the notification had not been formally published. Referring to different Supreme Court judgements, the petitioner said that the press clippings were enough evidence and permissible for legal proceedings. —Staff Report

DIG told to book policemen

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the Gujranwala deputy inspector general of police (DIG) to file a first information report (FIR) against policemen who tortured a man named Basharat Ali and kept him in illegal custody for several days. The court issued the notices on a petition by Muhammad Shahid through his counsel Aftab Ahmed Bajwa. The petitioner said that the policemen angered with him after a district and sessions judge issued them strict directions in another case he filed to court. He said the policemen broke into his house and took his guests, Basharat Ali, Sagham and Qaiser. Mr Shahid said they release two of his guests later, but tortured Mr Ali for many days. Court-appointed Bailiff Javed Iqbal recovered and produced Mr Ali in the court, which saw the torture marks and cigarette burns on his body. The court sent Mr Ali for a medical examination and asked a medical board to submit its report the same day. The medical board supported the allegation that Mr Ali was tortured. —Staff Report

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