A case of an unearthing scam gone wrong.
Water is the essence of life; we all know that. To live a fit and healthy life, water intake is a must. Doctors recommend about 8 glasses of water per day. The hot weather of summer calls for an even higher density of water intake. That is why people take chilled water bottles with them everywhere they go. Shops have all kinds of water bottle sizes for convenience, and there are several coolers and RO Plants on roads, public and private places.
As we can see water is a basic necessity of life and for the sole purpose of getting advocates and people visiting the court to quench their thirst, Malir Court sought to install an RO plant in its premises in 2021. Since then, it’s been serving people.
But there came reports of the selling of RO Plant’s water in sealed bottles by unknown personnel unlawfully for profits. As if selling water bottles in Karachi wasn’t big enough.
In May 2023, District and Sessions Judge Sadaf Khokhar displayed a sign on the court’s premises that the selling of water from the aforementioned RO Plant is illegal and prohibited.
However, when the Senior Civil Judge and Supervisor, Khurram Amin Khan paid a surprise visit, he found out that a man named Hajan Ali was carrying packaged bottles of RO Plant.
He informed the Civil Judge that he had a contract with the current Malir Bar Association to sell the water. The Civil Judge discovered the bottle and packaging material.
The civil judge explained the scam to Ms. Sadaf Khokhar, who forwarded it to the system. She informed the Registrar of the Sindh High Court and claimed that the bottles of distilled water were being sold commercially. She let the Registrar know that a restriction is in place on the sale of water but the RO Plant is still functioning normally.
This activity enraged the Malir Bar Association and on 12th May 2023, the bar declared a strike and convened an emergency General Body Meeting. This quickly became the news and the members of the Karachi Bar Association, Malir Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association, and Sindh City Bar Association went on strike throughout the province of Sindh.
Sindh High Court Bar Association President Mr. Saleem Mangrio and General Secretary Mr. Aamir Nawaz Waraich submitted a request to remove the benches.
The Bars were not happy with the rude and forcible behaviour of District and Sessions Judge Sadaf Khokhar and remarked that her order brought shame, humiliation, and utter harassment to the lawyers and she had stopped the service of drinking water. The Malir Bar Association Secretary Mr. Hafeez Baloch maintained that the no commercial use of the RO Plant was in place and since the Bar didn’t have sufficient funds to run the RO Plant, it was handed over to “some friends’ to keep it functional. The bar would happily hand over the RO Plant to the judiciary.
The protest reached to such an extent that it knocked on the doors of the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court. The advocates met him and told them about their reservations. But they couldn’t meet a consensus and said that the Chief Justice was not attentive to their demands and he paid no heed. This irked the lawyer’s community and Karachi Bar Association President Mr. Amir Saleem said that they would go on strike regarding the rude behaviour of Chief Justice and Sadaf Khokhar. They only had one demand which was the transfer of Judge Sadaf Khokhar. There would be no discussion without the transfer order.
Such protests and off-the-hook situation led to a standstill of legal work and the public were hanged dry. Attorneys and their clients weren’t allowed inside the Court Room. Reporters were reluctant to report stories on the fear of being beaten. Even the lawyers were not willing to speak on the matter for it may invoke the fury of the Bar Associations.
The situation was dire and there was a character assassination campaign of District and Sessions Judge Sadaf Khokhar. Abuses were hurled and she faced public humiliation. The Women’s Lawyers Association condemned the behaviour of the Lawyers against the Judge and announced to stand with her.
The strike continued outside the Courtroom of the Chief Justice with one unanimous demand: the transfer of Judge Sadaf Khokhar.
On Wednesday 24th May members of the Bar Associations met the CJ and after discussions and his reassurance, strike and protests were called off. Chief Justice Mr. Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh personallyvisited the Malir Court on 26th May, 2023 and would decide the matter just and accordingly. But the Bar Associations are still calling for her transfer.
All this drama and controversy led to nothing but the law was in the middle of nowhere. People who come to court to get relief were helpless as their respective lawyers were busy protesting and calling for transfer.
Written by:
Muhammad Muzammil Hassan Shaikh
The Lex Writer
