Raising the bar: Five assistant registrars promoted to deputy registrar

Personal assts, private secys, court associates get timescale promotions.


Rana Tanveer March 20, 2015
PHOTO: LHC.GOV.PK

LAHORE:


Implementing its new policy on promotions, Lahore High Court issued a notification on Friday announcing timescale promotions for private secretaries, court associates and personal assistants.


The notification, dated March 10, says consequent on the administration committee’s decision, the chief justice has upgraded the posts of private secretaries, court associates and personal assistants on satisfactory completion of length of service. Private secretaries and court associates in BS 18 who have served for 12 years will be promoted to senior private secretaries and senior court associates in BS 19. Personal assistants in BS 17 who have served for seven years will be promoted to senior personal assistant in BS 18. They will not be given further promotions till they retire.

The new policy bars private secretaries and court associates from being promoted to deputy registrar (BS 19) and keeps the post open only for assistant registrars. A notification issued on Thursday bars personal assistants from being promoted to assistant registrar (BS 18). Only assistants will now be promoted to the post of assistant registrar.

According to the previous policy, private secretaries, court associates and assistant registrars were promoted as deputy registrars on rotation. Similarly, personal assistants and assistants used to be promoted as assistant registrars.

Several personal secretaries, court associates and personal assistants have expressed reservations against the new policies calling them discriminatory. Some of them said that some influential assistant registrars had pushed the LHC administration to pass a policy that favoured them, “even though we are the backbone of the LHC…we handle all court affairs”.

A personal secretary requesting anonymity said in Notification 317, issued on October 13, 1993, the then LHC chief justice had set a criterion for the promotion of assistant registrars. They would have to pass three exams of 100 marks each. The first exam was on High Court Rules and Orders, Volume 1 to 5; Civil Services Rules (Punjab) Volume 1; and Provident Fund Rules 1978. The second exam was on The Punjab (Civil Services) Delegation of Powers Rules 1983; Delegation of Financial Powers Rules 1990; The Punjab Travelling Allowance Rules; The West Pakistan Government Servants (conduct) Rules 1966; The Punjab Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules 1975; and the Pension Guide. The third exam comprised an essay; and tested noting and drafting skills in English and Urdu.

The notification said that the exam could be taken in parts but an official would only pass once he or she cleared all exams.

According to Rule 8 of High Court Rules and Orders Volume V Chapter 10, Part C: an assistant registrar cannot be promoted to deputy registrar till he or she successfully passes the departmental examination as prescribed by the Lahore High Court.

LHC Additional Registrar (establishment) Riaz Ali Zaidi said that the LHC rules did not require exams for the promotion or confirmation of LHC employees. When asked about the October 13, 1993, notification, he said that he was unaware of the notification. “I don’t have such information on my fingerprints.” He said he could speak with certainty about the notification once he had seen the LHC records.

The new deputy registrars are Masood Ahmed, Zahoor Hussain, Shahbaz Ashraf, Mansoorul Haq and Mirza Inamullah Baig. AR Muhammad Zubair Asif, presently posted as deputy registrar (protocol), is now posted as protocol officer in BS 19.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2015.

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