Court postpones verdict on bail pleas of Korangi factory owner, others

KARACHI: A Karachi sessions court on Tuesday once again deferred the verdict on bail applications of six suspects in the Korangi factory fire case.

The court will now pronounce the verdict on Nov 5. This is the fourth time the verdict has been postponed by the court. Factory owner Hassan Meetha, its manager Syed Imran Ali Zaidi and others moved the bail applications.

The sessions court extended the bail of Korangi DC Saleemullah Odho, Assistant Commissioner Sajida Ayaz, Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) officers Mohammad Salman, Khizr Hayat and Mohammad Rizwan and Civil Defence Karachi director Safdar Bughio until Nov 5.

Meetha, Zaidi, building owner Faisal Tariq, supervisors Zafar Ali and Farrukh Ahmed and a watchman are named in the case challan as detained suspects. Apart from them, officials of civic agencies and utilities have also been charge-sheeted by the investigation officer.

On Oct 12, the sessions court had granted them interim pre-arrest bail against a surety bond of Rs500,000 each. In August, at least 16 labourers had burnt to death as a blaze erupted in a chemical factory located in Korangi’s Mehran Town of the port city.

The labourers working for the factory had said that there was only one way to enter or exit the building and the blaze made it impossible to reach it.