Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday rejected a petition seeking the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the murder of young businessman Mir Raza, directing the investigating officer to complete the probe in a fair, impartial and expeditious manner.
The court issued its detailed written order after announcing its reserved decision on the petition filed by Mir Raza’s family, who had expressed dissatisfaction with the ongoing police investigation.
The court noted that the Supreme Court order cited by the petitioners was different in nature and did not apply to the present case. The petitioners had argued for the formation of a JIT, saying the police investigation was not satisfactory. The court, however, said the investigating officer had assured it that all possible efforts would be made to complete the probe.
The investigating officer would use all available resources in accordance with the law and, if required, seek assistance from other law-enforcement and investigative agencies, the court said.
The high court directed that the investigation into the Mir Raza murder case be conducted impartially, fairly and expeditiously. It also said the petitioners could use all available legal remedies to ensure that the investigation was conducted transparently and fairly.
During the proceedings, the court raised three questions before the lawyers: whether it could issue such an order within its jurisdiction, whether it could supervise an ongoing investigation, and whether it had the authority to direct the parties to form a JIT.
The petitioners had cited a Supreme Court order in support of their request.
The advocate general and prosecutor general, however, opposed the petition, arguing that the high court did not have the power to issue an order of this nature. The government lawyers also questioned how the court could assess the quality of an ongoing investigation when the case challan had not yet been submitted.
They argued that it was premature to determine whether the investigation had been properly conducted while the probe was still under way.
