KARACHI: A judicial magistrate in Karachi has acquitted Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and five other accused in an eight-year-old case involving the alleged recovery of liquor bottles from his hospital room. The court announced its verdict on Tuesday, ruling that the prosecution had failed to produce sufficient evidence to establish the charges against the accused.
The case also involved Memon’s employees and prison officials who were accused in connection with the alleged recovery. The court observed that the police and prosecution had failed to present concrete evidence demonstrating their involvement in the alleged offence. Consequently, all six accused were acquitted.
During the proceedings, Memon’s lawyer argued that forensic and medical reports supported the defence’s position that the bottles contained honey and olive oil rather than alcoholic beverages. The defence maintained that the scientific findings contradicted the original allegations and that the case lacked sufficient evidence to justify a conviction.
The case dates back to September 1, 2018, when then Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar made a surprise visit to a hospital in Karachi’s Shirin Jinnah Colony. Memon was receiving medical treatment there while in judicial custody, and his hospital room had been designated as a sub-jail.
According to the account of the incident, the then chief justice stated that three bottles of liquor had been found in the room. Following the visit, Memon was transferred to Karachi Central Jail, while Boat Basin police registered a case against him and three of his employees under Section 4 of the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order, 1979.
Two individuals were subsequently taken into custody in connection with the alleged recovery. One of them reportedly maintained that the bottles contained honey and cooking oil rather than liquor. This claim later became a central part of the defence’s position during the legal proceedings.
