ISLAMABAD - A division bench (DB) of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday suspended an order of an IHC single bench of May 29 that had declared the recommendations of former PPP government's subcommittee for regularisation of the contractual and daily wage employees as null and void.
The DB comprising Chief Justice (CJ) IHC Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi and Justice Noor-ul-Haq N Qureshi suspended the single bench order that had annulled the recommendations for 125,000 contractual and daily wage employees of the federal government. PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah had headed the cabinet's subcommittee during the previous government's tenure. In his verdict, Justice Siddiqui had observed that the recommendations carry no weight regarding the employees those were appointed without following rules and competitive process.
The IHC single bench had directed all the institutions/organisations of the federal government to properly examine and verify record of the regularised employees and only endorse the regularisation of those employees who fulfil the criteria in respect of educational qualification, experience, age and domicile.
While suspending the orders of the single bench, the DB issued notices to the federation, secretary cabinet division and secretary establishment division at the writ petitions of multiple petitioners.
The counsel for the petitioners Raja Amir Abbas Advocate contended before the court that single bench's order is affecting lives of around 125,000 regular employees. He informed that the learned single judge has drawn a conclusion that services of the employees have been regularised without following the merit criteria.
He further argued that while proceeding of the case, no case was produced before the court where merit criteria had been lacking.
The counsel said that the cabinet's subcommittee in its recommendations had suggested that a class of contract and daily wages employees fulfilling the laid criteria should be considered for regularisation and to be regularised in accordance with the rules of appointments.
He further argued that the court could not intervene in the policy decisions of the government in the light of Supreme Court's judgements. Moreover the decision was passed without hearing the other side. Therefore, the petitioners prayed to the court to set aside the judgement declaring regularisation of employees as illegal. After issuing the above said order, the DB adjourned the hearing in this matter with date in office.