SHC dismisses plea of 23 who claim journalist status for plots in Colonia de Periodistas
HYDERABAD:
The circuit court of the Sindh High Court in Hyderabad dismissed a constitutional petition filed by 23 persons claiming to be journalists, seeking allotment of residential land in the Journalists Colony meant for members of the Hyderabad Press Club on the basis of accreditation cards.
In its detailed judgment, the court ruled that the Journalists’ Colony was specifically allocated for residential purposes of the members of the Hyderabad Press Club and that the petitioners had not established any legal or equitable right to claim plots therein.
The division’s constitutional bench, comprising Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon and Justice Riazat Ali Sahar, announced the verdict after reserving its decision on December 9. The judgment, written by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon, was published on Monday.
The court also issued strict directions to the Sindh Information Department to constitute 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 strictly to genuine and full-time working journalists, photographers and videographers, and ordered that no accreditation card be issued independently or in violation of the prescribed procedure.
During the hearing, the president of Hyderabad Press Club (respondent number 6) was represented by lawyer Jawad Ahmed Qureshi, while Deputy Attorney 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 they were excluded from the allotment list as they were not members of the Hyderabad Press Club. They questioned the allotment process and asked for instructions for allocating plots.
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 the Journalists Colony. The land was meant exclusively for the members of the Hyderabad Press Club and the eligible beneficiaries were classified accordingly.
Rejecting the petitioners’ claims, the court observed 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 objective of misleading the authorities. The ruling noted that the deputy commissioner of Hyderabad had already rejected the registration of the said body, alleging intimidation of officials and unethical conduct.
The purpose of the petitioners was to acquire property through unfair means. Bona fide journalists would lose their rights if plots aimed at them were assigned to vested interests.
Concluding that the petitioners had not demonstrated any legitimate rights, the court dismissed the petition and upheld the existing adjudication framework.
