SHC suspends removal of KE CEO Moonis Alvi in harassment case

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has suspended the removal order against K-Electric CEO Moonis Alvi in a harassment case, following a petition challenging the Provincial Ombudsperson’s decision on Friday.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, Moonis Alvi, accompanied by his counsel Barrister Abid Zuberi, appeared in court and submitted a penalty amount of Rs2.5 million with the SHC's relevent office as per the Ombudsperson’s ruling. 

The decision to remove Moonis Alvi from his position as Chief Executive Officer of the K-Electric was made by the Sindh Ombudsperson after finding him guilty of harassing former Chief Marketing Officer Mehrin Zahra.

Justice Faizal Kamal Alam, who heard Moonis Alvi's petition, questioned the legal foundation of the Ombudsperson’s jurisdiction. “Where is the provincial law, and what’s wrong with the decision?” he asked during proceedings.

In response, Barrister Zuberi argued that federal law applies in Sindh in such matters and that the provincial ombudsperson lacked jurisdiction, especially given that K-Electric is an interprovincial company, supplying electricity to Lasbela, Hub, and Windar. 

Barrister Zuberi maintained that only the Federal Ombudsperson had the legal authority to decide the case.

The court, after hearing the preliminary arguments, suspended the Ombudsperson’s order, retaining Moonis Alvi as CEO for now, and issued notices to both the Ombudsperson and the complainant for further proceedings.

Just a day earlier, the Sindh Ombudsperson’s court had found Moonis Alvi guilty of workplace harassment and ordered his removal, along with a fine of Rs2.5 million.

Reporter: Mumtaz Jamali