SHC rejects plea of 23 people claiming journalist status over plots in journalists’ colony
HYDERABAD:
The Circuit Bench of the Sindh High Court at Hyderabad has dismissed a constitutional petition filed by 23 individuals claiming to be journalists, who sought allotment of residential plots in the Journalists’ Colony meant 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 reserved for residential purposes for members of the Hyderabad Press Club and the petitioners had failed to establish a legal or equitable right to claim plots within it.
The constitutional division 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 made public 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 journalists, photographers and cameramen working on a full-time basis, and directed that no accreditation cards be issued independently or in violation of the prescribed procedure.
During the hearing, the president of the Hyderabad Press Club (respondent no. 6) was represented by advocate Jawad Ahmed Qureshi, while Deputy 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 as 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 instructions to allot 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 setting up the journalists’ colony. The land was intended exclusively for members of the Hyderabad Press Club and the eligible beneficiaries were ranked accordingly.
Dismissing the petitioners’ allegations, 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 aim of misleading the authorities. The judgment noted that the Deputy Commissioner of Hyderabad had already rejected the registration of the said body, citing intimidation of officials and unethical conduct.
The objective of the petitioners was to acquire property through unfair means. Bona fide journalists would lose their rights if plots aimed at them were attributed to special interests.
Concluding that the petitioners had failed to prove any legitimate right, the court dismissed the petition and upheld the existing attribution framework.
