Karachi court rejects police challan in Gul Plaza tragedy

A Judicial Magistrate's Court in Karachi South has rejected the police challan submitted in the Gul Plaza fire tragedy case,

A Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Karachi South has rejected the police challan submitted in the Gul Plaza fire tragedy case, declaring the investigation incomplete and inadequate. The court has ordered that a police officer of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) rank be appointed as the new investigating officer to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.

In its detailed order, the court observed that the loss of more than 70 precious lives was not the result of a natural disaster but appeared to have been caused by possible criminal negligence. It stressed that identifying those responsible for the tragedy is essential to ensure accountability and justice for the victims.

The court noted that the investigation failed to determine whether safety regulations and building rules at Gul Plaza had been violated. It remarked that such a significant loss of life demanded a thorough investigation into all possible acts of negligence that may have contributed to the disaster.

According to the order, the public prosecutor informed the court that the police challan had been found defective during scrutiny. Despite the challan being returned twice for correction, the investigating officer failed to address the identified shortcomings. The court emphasized that it is not bound to accept the police investigation without proper judicial scrutiny, particularly when serious deficiencies exist.

The magistrate directed that the case be reinvestigated under the supervision of a DSP-rank officer. The new investigating officer has been instructed to obtain the officially approved building plan of Gul Plaza, along with all records relating to its regularization. These documents are to be compared with the building’s original structure to determine whether unauthorized alterations or illegal construction took place.

The court also ordered the investigating officer to examine how the number of shops in the building increased from the originally approved 1,102 units to 1,153. It further directed that officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) who may have been responsible for approving or overlooking such changes should be identified and investigated.

In its observations, the court stated that the previous investigating officer had failed to conduct an effective inquiry into all aspects of the case and had not adequately investigated the possible criminal negligence of the relevant government institutions. The order also noted that when the investigating officer was asked whether the commissioner’s report was included in the police file, he denied its existence, despite the report reportedly forming part of the case record.

The court further instructed the investigating officer to obtain fire safety inspection records from the Civil Defence Department and gather relevant information from the market committee. It also ordered the collection of fire audit and inspection reports from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the district administration. In addition, the role of the traffic police during the emergency response is to be examined as part of the fresh investigation.

The Gul Plaza tragedy remains one of Karachi’s deadliest commercial building disasters. The devastating fire broke out on the night of January 17 at the shopping mall located on the city’s busy M.A. Jinnah Road. Firefighters battled the blaze for more than 33 hours before bringing it under control. The incident claimed the lives of 86 people, while more than 1,200 shops were destroyed, causing extensive financial losses and leaving countless families affected.

The court’s latest order is expected to revive the long-running investigation and could pave the way for fixing responsibility for one of Karachi’s most tragic fire disasters.