SC orders registering criminal cases against SBCA officials in Nasla Tower case

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday ordered registration of two separate criminal cases against all Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) officials who approved Nasla Tower’s building plan.

A two-member bench of SC headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed presided over the case in the SC Karachi registry.

The bench also issued a show-cause notice for contempt of court to SBCA Director General (DG) for obstructing the implementation of a court order regarding the demolition of Nasla Tower.

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The orders were given in light of a report submitted by the Karachi Commissioner on Monday. The commissioner maintained that the SBCA authorities were blocking the demolition of the illegal building. The report also underlined that the SBCA officials were demanding bribes from the contractor hired for demolition work.

In light of the report, the bench ordered the provincial anti-corruption establishment and the police to register separate cases against the SBCA officials.

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The bench, on request, also ordered the seizure of 780 square yards of land on which Nasla Tower has been constructed. The official assignee of Sindh High Court (SHC) has been ordered to seize the land and auction it for payment of compensation to the allottees.

In June this year, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC), had ordered the demolition of the Nasla Tower as a part of it was encroaching on the land meant for a service road. According to the SBCA, 400 labourers had been demolishing the building and 50 per cent of demolition work had been completed until December 4.