KARACHI: A constitutional bench of the Sindh High Court on Friday issued notices on an application filed by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) seeking to review the order of a division bench that enhanced the scope of a petition from relocation of brown bear Rano to examine the whole concept of keeping zoos and caging animals.

Earlier, a regular bench of SHC while hearing the main petition filed by an animal rights activist had decided to examine the whole concept of zoos and also sought suggestions how to phase out zoos in the entire province and sending the exotic animals to their natural habitats.

After the enactment of 27th Amendment and promulgation of a gubernatorial ordinance, all the petitions filed under Article 199 of the Constitution have been sent to constitutional benches (CBs) of SHC.

When the matter came up for hearing on Friday, a two-judge constitutional bench headed by Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhary issued notices to the parties concerned for Jan 18.

SHC issues notices and put off the matter till January 18

The KMC in its application submitted that the petition in question was exclusively pertaining to shifting of Rano and pursuant to an order of the SHC passed last month, the zoo bear was successfully shifted on Nov 5.

It argued that the petition had effectively served its purpose and ought to have been disposed of accordingly, but the division bench in its impugned order enhanced the scope of petition to include welfare of all the animals kept at zoos.

The KMC stated that the division bench had exceeded its jurisdiction by enhancing the scope of the petition and stated that the bench under Article 175 (2) of the Constitution lacked jurisdiction.

It further submitted that in the impugned order, the SHC had also constituted a committee to visit zoos across the province and suggest steps for improvement as well as sending the exotic animals to their natural habitat.

However, the KMC stated that the formation of such a committee and conferral of an extended mandate fell outside the scope of the original petition and therefore, the same was also beyond the bench’s jurisdiction.

The KMC pleaded to review and amend the impugned order and dispose of the petition.

Meanwhile, petitioner Jude Allen Pereira also filed an application seeking changes in his petition in the light of the SHC’s earlier order.

The court put the zoo authorities as well as officials of KMC on notice on his application.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2025