Repatriation to LHC: IHC dismisses petition of two court officials

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday dismissed a petition of two officials of the court against their repatriation to Lahore High Court (LHC). Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani dismissed the petition on grounds that he cannot review a verdict issued by the Supreme Court.

IHC’s former deputy registrar Imtiaz Ahmed and former private secretary Naveed Qaiser, in petitions filed through their advocate Arfat Ahmed, had challenged a notification issued by the court directing them to return to the LHC.

Ahmed argued that a Supreme Court judgment over appointment of court officials has set the criteria for contractual appointments, permanent appointments, promotions, deputation and absorption of the IHC officials.

He said that the verdict states that except those employees who have been recruited from the establishments of different High Courts of Pakistan, in the same scale in which they were serving or were given one-step promotion within the same cadre, all other appointments by way of absorptions are without lawful authority and hence to be de-notified.

Ahmed claimed that since the petitioners were absorbed in the next grade in the IHC, hence their appointments were in accordance with the criteria laid down by the apex court.

Justice Kayani, however, dismissed the petition saying that he cannot review the SC’s verdict.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2016.