Court Rejects Police Report in Gul Plaza Tragedy, Orders Fresh Investigation
Irfan Ali
A Karachi court has rejected the police investigation report in the Gul Plaza tragedy case and ordered a fresh probe. The court directed investigators to determine the role of the district administration and all relevant government departments in the incident. A new investigating officer has also been appointed to reinvestigate the case.
A Judicial Magistrate South has rejected the police challan in the Gul Plaza tragedy case and issued a detailed written order.
In its ruling, the court observed that the investigating officer failed to conduct a thorough and effective investigation into all aspects of the incident. It said the probe did not adequately examine possible criminal negligence by the relevant authorities or determine whether safety rules and building regulations at Gul Plaza had been violated.
The court also noted that the investigating officer failed to clarify the responsibilities of the (SBCA), Civil Defence, (KMC), the Fire Brigade, Rescue 1122, and other concerned departments.
The written order stated that more than 70 people did not lose their lives due to a natural disaster. If the deaths resulted from possible criminal negligence, identifying those responsible is essential.
The court further stated that, according to the public prosecutor, serious deficiencies had been identified during scrutiny of the police report. Despite the challan being returned twice, the investigating officer failed to address those shortcomings.
The court emphasized that it is not bound to accept the police investigation as presented and ruled that further investigation is necessary.
It directed the SSP Investigation to appoint an investigating officer of at least DSP rank. The new officer has been instructed to obtain Gul Plaza's approved building plan and regularisation records, compare official documents with the existing structure, and determine how the number of approved shops increased from 1,102 to 1,153.
The court also ordered the new investigating officer to identify the officials of the SBCA responsible for oversight and obtain fire safety inspection records from Civil Defence.
It further directed that records related to Gul Plaza be collected from the Market Committee and Civil Defence, while fire safety and rescue records should also be obtained from Rescue 1122, the Fire Brigade, KMC, the district administration, and the Traffic Police.
The investigating officer has also been instructed to secure fire audit and inspection reports from KMC and the district administration and examine the role played by the Traffic Police in the incident.
