Court halts appointment of 6,000 doctors

Controversy arises regarding meritocracy in the SPSC

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) restrained on Friday the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) from proceeding with fresh appointments of as many 6,000 doctors in the health department until further orders.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, also directed the provincial law officer to submit a reply on behalf of the concerned authorities in this regard by August 9.

The matter was taken up in court by a candidate, Abdullah, who challenged the fresh appointments made by ignoring successful candidates.

The petitioner, who appeared in person, said the provincial government had decided to appoint as many as 6,000 doctors in the health department through the public service commission. However, he alleged that such appointments were being made by ignoring more than 300 candidates, who had already successfully passed the examinations conducted by the SPSC.



The judges were told that at least 6,000 candidates had qualified in the written examination held by the SPSC in 2016. The petitioner said the selection committee, headed by the former chairperson of the commission, had already declared 50% of the candidates qualified in viva-voce.

Abdullah mentioned that he was among the qualified candidates, but the authorities had initiated a fresh process of hiring doctors, ignoring those who had been declared successful in the past. This will deprive the successful candidates of their right to get jobs, he argued, adding the authorities were acting in sheer violation of the constitutional provisions that ensure that the eligible candidates get jobs on merit.

Therefore, the court was pleaded to direct the respondents, including the provincial chief secretary and SPSC chairperson, to consider those who had passed the commission exam in the past for appointments.

The judges found out that previously the provincial government law officer had been directed to submit the government’s reply but the same had not been filed.



Therefore, they came down hard on the law officer and directed him to submit such a reply by August 9. Till then, the SPSC authorities were also directed not to proceed with the appointment process.