SHC moved for action against responsible officials over Gul Plaza fire

A constitutional petition was moved in the Sindh High Court on Monday, calling for criminal and departmental action against officials allegedly responsible for the deadly fire at Gul Plaza.

Advocate Saleem Michael, along with Karachi resident Muhammad Haris, filed the petition, stating that the incident was not an unavoidable mishap but the result of serious negligence, weak oversight, failure to conduct inspections and poor enforcement of safety regulations by authorities responsible for building and fire safety.

The Sindh government, the Sindh Building Control Authority, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the city’s chief fire officer, the director general of the Sindh Emergency Rescue Service, the deputy commissioner of South district and the director general of civil defence at the home department have been named as respondents.

The petition referred to an order issued by the Sindh High Court on December 8, 2020, related to public safety and fire prevention. It recalled that the court had directed authorities to ensure the availability and proper functioning of fire tenders within a fixed timeframe and to keep the fire emergency helpline operational.

The earlier order had also instructed officials to set up and activate divisional, district and sub-divisional task forces, carry out regular and surprise inspections, hold mandatory meetings, resolve complaints within 48 hours and strictly enforce fire safety laws.

The petitioners argued that the respondents, as public office-holders, were legally bound to follow those directions, which they said were mandatory and linked to the protection of life and dignity under Articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution.

They claimed that despite the passage of more than four years, the authorities had failed to properly implement the court’s directions. The plea alleged that task forces existed mostly on paper, inspections were irregular, reports were ignored and enforcement against violators was largely absent.

The petition stated that the Gul Plaza fire, which led to loss of lives, injuries and major financial losses for shopkeepers, reflected continued non-compliance with the court’s 2020 order.

The petitioners asked the court to declare that the incident occurred due to negligence, maladministration and failure to perform statutory duties by the respondents.