KARACHI: As the death toll from the devastating Gul Plaza fire climbed to over 26, a petition was filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday seeking criminal, departmental, and contempt proceedings against government officials accused of gross negligence and failure to enforce fire safety laws, calling the tragedy a result of systemic maladministration rather than an unavoidable accident.
The fire, which broke out late Saturday night, raged for nearly 24 hours before being brought under control. Rescue operations continued on Monday amid fears that several people remained trapped or missing in the charred commercial building.
The petition, filed by Advocate Saleem Michael and Karachi resident Muhammad Haris, names the Sindh government, Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Karachi’s chief fire officer, the director general of Sindh Emergency Rescue Service, the South district deputy commissioner and the director general of civil defence at the home department as respondents.
Filed in public interest on behalf of affected citizens, traders, shopkeepers and victims, the plea argues that the Gul Plaza fire was a “direct consequence of gross negligence, failure of inspection, non-enforcement of safety laws and blatant maladministration” by authorities legally bound to ensure building and fire safety.
The petition draws particular attention to an SHC order dated December 8, 2020, which laid down comprehensive directions on fire prevention and protection of human life. That order had mandated the availability and functionality of fire tenders, activation of the fire emergency helpline 16, and the constitution of divisional, district and sub-divisional task forces with defined inspection mechanisms, random inspections, complaint redressal within 48 hours and strict enforcement of fire safety laws.
According to the petitioners, these directions were mandatory in nature and linked directly to the protection of fundamental rights under Articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution. However, they alleged that despite the passage of more than four years, the respondents had “wilfully, deliberately and contumaciously” failed to implement the court’s binding directives.
“The so-called task forces exist largely on paper only; inspections remain sporadic, reports are not acted upon, and enforcement against violators is virtually non-existent,” the petition stated, describing the Gul Plaza fire as a “living indictment” of continued non-compliance with court orders.
The petitioners urged the court to declare that the tragedy occurred due to negligence, maladministration and failure of statutory duties by public office-holders. They sought directions for the initiation of criminal, departmental and contempt proceedings against responsible officials, along with the suspension of negligent officers pending an independent inquiry.
They also requested the court to order adequate state-funded compensation for the families of deceased victims under the principle of state liability, as well as compensation for traders and shopkeepers who suffered devastating financial losses.
Additionally, the plea called for a judicial or independent technical inquiry into fire safety compliance in commercial buildings across Karachi, strict enforcement of the Sindh Fire Safety Act, 2016 and relevant building laws, and submission of detailed compliance and inspection reports related to Gul Plaza.
The petition further sought attachment of the Gul Plaza property until finalisation of compensation and settlement claims, and asked the court to restrain authorities from concealing or destroying any relevant records connected to the incident.
The case is expected to be taken up by the SHC in the coming days, as public pressure mounts over accountability for one of Karachi’s deadliest recent commercial building fires.
