Court review: SC annuls contract of deputy registrars

Re-employment of registrars had blocked prospects of promotion for others.

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Saturday terminated the contracts of two deputy registrars serving in the apex court’s branch registries in view of the order issued by the Supreme Court in the Hajj embezzlement case.

The court directed the secretary establishment division and provincial chief secretaries to examine the cases of re-employed civil servants and contract officials.

In its order issued during the hearing of the Hajj embezzlement case, the Supreme Court had maintained it would revoke contracts of senior officers re-employed in the police and the FIA after granting them an opportunity to explain their position.

The court took the lead and reviewed the cases of officers re-employed on contract in the Supreme Court establishment. The chief justice observed that Deputy Registrar Arjan Ram K Talreja, at the branch registry, Karachi and Deputy Registrar Pervez Ahmad, at the branch registry in Lahore, had been selected because no official was eligible for promotion then.

The chief justice annulled the contracts of the two registrars since their re-employment had blocked the prospects of promotion for assistant registrars who did qualify. The deputy registrars will leave after the mandatory notice period.

The re-employment of Dr Faqir Hussain as Registrar, Supreme Court was also reviewed and found to be in compliance with the conditions spelt out in Rule 14(1) of the Civil Servants Act of 1973.

The two-year re-employment of Dr Hussain as Registrar, Supreme Court of Pakistan does not create blockage for other officers of the Supreme Court establishment, the bench observed. However, he has been ordered to relinquish charge as the Secretary, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan. Senior Joint Secretary Habibur Rahman has been nominated to head the commission.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th,  2011.