SHC rejects plea of 23 claiming journalist status for plots in Journalists Colony
HYDERABAD:
The Sindh High Court’s Hyderabad circuit bench has dismissed a constitutional petition filed by 23 persons claiming to be journalists who sought allotment of residential plots in Journalists Colony earmarked for members of the Hyderabad Press Club on the basis of accreditation cards.
In its detailed judgment, the court held that the Journalists Colony was specifically allotted to Hyderabad Press Club members for residential purposes and that the petitioners had not established any legal or equitable right to claim plots therein.
The constitution bench of the division, comprising Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon and Justice Riazat Ali Sahar, announced the judgment after reserving its decision on December 9. The verdict, authored by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon, was released on Monday.
The court also issued strict instructions to the Sindh Information Department to set up divisional, regional and provincial accreditation committees in accordance with Rule 3 of the Sindh Government Accreditation Rules, 2010. It ordered that accreditation cards be issued only to genuine, full-time working journalists, photographers and cameramen and directed that the card not be independently accredited. prescribed procedure.
During the hearing, the President of Hyderabad Press Club (Respondent No. 6) was represented by Advocate Jawad Ahmed Qureshi, while Assistant Advocate General Sindh Rafiq Ahmed Dahri also appeared before the court.
The petitioners – including Jehangir Ali, Muhammad Salman Sheikh, Ishtiaq Hussain, Muhammad Faisal and others – had claimed that they were working journalists associated with electronic and print media in Hyderabad but were excluded from the allotment list as they were not members of the Hyderabad Press Club. They challenged the allotment process and sought directions for allotment of plots to them.
The court noted that in 2009, the Sindh government had leased 75 acres of land for 99 years to the Hyderabad Press Club in Deh Ganjo Takar, Taluka Latifabad, for the establishment of Journalists Colony. The land was exclusively meant for Hyderabad Press Club members and eligible beneficiaries were categorized accordingly.
Rejecting the petitioners’ contentions, the court noted that they were not members of the Hyderabad Press Club and had even formed a parallel body, the “National Press Club”, in June 2023 with the alleged aim of misleading the authorities. The judgment noted that the Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad had already rejected the registration of the said body citing intimidation of officials and unethical behaviour.
The object of the petitioners was to acquire property by unfair means. The bona fide journalists would lose their rights if the plots meant for them were assigned to vested interests.
Concluding that the petitioners had not proved any legal right, the court dismissed the petition and upheld the existing award framework.
