Illegal elevations: Punjab police withdraw out-of-turn promotions

IG police submits report to Supreme Court in wake of petition

ISLAMABAD: Punjab police has told the Supreme Court that it has withdrawn 10,884 out-of-turn promotions of officers in different ranks. The report in which this claim was made was submitted to the country’s top court after an unknown applicant filed a petition regarding the matter. The applicant alleged that the Punjab Police has been adopting delaying tactics in complying with the orders issued earlier this year and in 2013 as well.

Inspector general of police in Punjab, Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhaira, has submitted a report over the application regarding the Punjab police’s failure. The report focuses on the demotion of SSP Operations Rawalpindi Karamatullah Malik which was allegedly not dealt with in view of the court’s judgments in 2013 and 2016.

The apex court in its judgment of 2013 had declared that “no police personnel or civil servant is entitled to out-of-turn promotion on account of gallantry award or otherwise.”

The top court earlier in its decision on January 26 had expressed its utter displeasure over non-compliance of the orders of the 2013 verdict. The apex court had warned to initiate contempt proceedings against the Punjab IG, the home secretary and the chief secretary for non-compliance.

An unknown applicant claimed that the Punjab police have been employing delaying tactics in implementation of the court’s judgments. He had alleged that the Punjab police are still working on implementing the court order rather than complying with it.

Last month, the top court had sought an explanation from IG Punjab regarding the application of alleged violation of its judgments.

In response to the order, IG Punjab had submitted that out-of-turn promotion granted to 66 DSPs had been withdrawn. He had mentioned that they were transferred or have been removed from their post.

“Out of turn promotions granted to 66 DSPs (who were granted out of turn promotions in lower ranks) were withdrawn and subsequently, they were transferred / removed from the posts”, says the report.

The IG also said that in order to ensure that those who had been promoted out of turn he has sought certificates duly backed by affidavits. The relevant papers must be given from the heads of different police formations/ units/ districts regions where the accused had been posted.

Regarding the complaint against Karamatullah Malik, the report says that he has been removed from the post of SSP Operations Rawalpindi. The notification for his removal was issued on June 23. However, his out of turn promotion from the rank of the DSP to SP has also been withdrawn through a notification dated June 28.

The IG also wrote in the report that he keeps the court’s order in very high esteem and cannot even imagine to not implement any order given by the apex court.

Meanwhile, a number of aggrieved Punjab police officials have filed review petitions against the SC’s verdict to withdraw all out of turn promotion. The bench will resume hearing of their pleas soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2016.