KARACHI - Sindh High Court on Thursday issued stay order against the recent hike in electricity tariff and directed the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to file a statement by June 23. The court passed the order while hearing identical petitions against privatisation of the KESC and the increase in power tariff. The petitioner, the Law Foundation, submitted that the increase made in power tariff to the KESC by Nepra was on the basis of misrepresentation and without evaluation and increase in tariff within the present framework was illegal. Javed Siqqiqui contended that the KESC generates only 1,000MW through its own resources and buys another 1,000MW from other sources but receives fuel adjustment surcharges on the whole while this cost is not paid to electricity bought from Wapda. In another case, the SHC ordered to launch a case against an accused arrested on the charges of creating fuss in front of the house of Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza, while disposed of the suo moto notice taken by the high court. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmani and Justice Tufail H Ebrahim issued the directives after hearing the comments from both the sides. The accused Samar Ali Khan appeared before the court and confessed the saying that he was drunk and was freed by the police on personal bound. Later, the court ordered the police to register a case against the accused according to the law. He was arrested by Darakshan Police Station lately. SHC maintains lower court's verdict Sindh High Court on Thursday maintained the sentence of life imprisonment of two guilty persons awarded by the low court in a narcotic case. An appeal bench comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Nisar Mohammad Sheikh announced the judgment while refusing an appeal moved by two guilty Noor Mohammad and Iqbal Hussain who moved to the SHC against the trial courts verdict. Earlier the court heard the arguments from the prosecution and the applicants counsel. The applicant moved with an appeal by submitting that they were awarded life imprisonment and also were ordered to pay penalty of Rs 0.1m each in narcotics case, however they claimed that the evidences produced before the trial court were not enough to prove their involvement in the offence. They pleaded to nullify the said judgment and acquit them from the offense. According to the prosecution, the guilty were awarded life imprisonment for their involvement in the offence of possessing of drugs. Stay order against merger of villages Another division bench comprising Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmany and Justice Tufail H. Ebrahim issued stay-order against the merger of village 347 of Mirpur Mathelo into Talaka Khan Garh and shifting of village 11 from Dehrki to Mirpur Mathelo till 23rd of June. The court while conducting hearing over the petition moved by former Taluka Nazim Mumtaz Ali Lona and other issued notices to Chief Secretary Sindh, Secretary Local Bodies and others. Hearing adjourned in compensation case Similarly, the same bench adjourned the hearing of case on a petition against not yet receiving the announced Rs 1.5 million as compensation money by the government till June 21. The court conducted hearing over a petition moved by the widow of Abdul Wahid, who was a driver of Edhi Ambulance and died in bomb blast at Youm-e-Ashura, seeking the announced compensation money by the government.