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Peshawar High Court orders suspension of CAA chief
 [Dawn] Taking serious notice of Friday's Bhoja Air plane crash, the Beautiful Downtown Peshawar High Court ordered the federal government on Wednesday to immediately suspend the director general of Civil Aviation Authority and also issued contempt of court notice to him and the federal defence secretary for having failed to comply with its orders about conducting safety audits of all passenger aircraft of PIA and private airlines.A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Mian Fasihul Mulk directed the two officials to appear in person on May 30, the next date of hearing, and explain in writing why a final show-cause notice should not be issued to them and why they should not be prosecuted for committing contempt of court. The court also issued show-cause notices to the Bhoja Air management, including its managing director, and the licensing authority asking why the airline's operations on national and international routes should not be suspended when it was not capable of operating commercial flights. The bench observed that before passing any final order it would leave it to the government to revisit its decision of permitting Bhoja Air's operation. The chief justice observed that had the court's order been implemented the Bhoja crash could have been averted and precious lives saved. Legal representative of the CAA Ubaidur Rehman Abbasi told newsmen that the authority would challenge the high court's order before the Supreme Court. Advocate Afnan Kareem Kundi, representing the ministry of defence, said it was up to the defence secretary to decide whether or not to file an appeal. The court was hearing a petition filed by former MNA Marvi Memon and some family members of the passengers who were killed in the July 2010 Airblue plane crash which had left 152 people dead. The court observed that the minister for defence should consider and evaluate his own responsibility because two big tragedies had taken place during his tenure. When he failed to deliver on this important position it was for him to decide to quit or not, the court said. The court ordered that the CAA chief should remain under suspension till the inquiry by foreign experts as directed by the court is completed regarding the Airblue plane crash and a similar inquiry carried out and completed in Bhoja Air crash. Posted by: Fred 2012-04-27 |
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