The Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif here on Thursday set at liberty 57 brick kiln workers including 31 children after getting them recovered from illegal detention of kiln owner. The court passed these orders in a petition filed by one Ghulam Mustafa of Kasur who submitted that they had started work at brick kiln of Muhammad Hassan for preparing bricks at Rs 488 per thousand bricks some five years ago.
The owner violated the agreement and never paid them salary according to the agreement. Later the respondent Hassan started taking forced labour from them and did not allow them to go outside the kiln. Petitioner alleged that the respondent and his security guards also tortured the detainees.
He luckily managed to escape from the custody of kiln owner and filed the petition. The CJ had deputed bailiff who told the court on Thursday that all the detainees had been recovered from the illegal detention of respondent Hassan. At this the CJ disposed of the petition after setting all of them at liberty.