Sacked GCC employees told to approach ‘relevant’ forum

SC questions legal status of the club, disposes of the case after the application is withdrawn

ISLAMABAD: The top court directed former employees of the Gun and Country Club to approach the relevant forum for the restoration of their jobs as it disposed of their petition.

This was directed by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC), headed by Justice Azmat Saeed and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, while hearing a petition filed by the sacked employees of the club.

During the proceedings of the case, Justice Ahsan remarked that the counsel for the petitioners was previously representing the club before the court and now it was representing its employees against the club.

“Is this not a conflict of interest?” Justice Ahsan asked.

At this, the counsel for the petitioners conceded that while he had represented the club in the past, he had not sought any relief against the club or its administration during his current representation.

Justice Ahsan further remarked that the complaint against the club cannot be heard because the club enjoys no legal status.

The counsel recalled that the court had constituted an administrative committee to manage the affairs of the club. This committee, he argued, had sacked employees, including his clients.

Justice Ahsan remarked that the committee, after reviewing matters of the club, had kept necessary staff while all staff deemed surplus had been terminated.

The employees pleaded to the court to return their application.

The court then directed the employees to contact the relevant forum for redress of their grievances and disposed of the petition

PML-N workers hearing adjourned

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday adjourned until May 27, the hearing of a case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers Raja Ikhlaq and others for the alleged politically motivated murder of Raja Shoaib.

The victim was a nephew of Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat.

During Monday’s hearing, the court issued a notice to the Rawalpindi Saddar Police Station SHO, directing him to present witnesses at the next hearing of the case.

During proceedings on Monday, the court disposed of suspect’s petition against the Adiyala Jail Superintendent after he told the court that the suspect was under protective custody in the protection cell. He added the suspect can request a transfer to a normal jail by simply writing an application.

Earlier, the suspect had expressed a lack of confidence in the judge owing to which the matter was sent to the high court for guidance. The high court, however, had rejected the application and had directed the same judge to continue with the proceedings.

Drug smuggler bailed

A suspected drug smuggler was granted bail against bonds worth Rs100,000.

The bail was set by the Lahore High Court-Rawalpindi Bench which heard the case.

The suspect had been arrested from the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) after the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) officials deputed at the facility recovered 890 grammes of crystal methamphetamines (also known as ice) from him.

The suspect’s counsel, Sultan Yousafzai, told the court that the ANF had arrested his client on suspicion after recovering an unrecognized substance from the airport.

He maintained that concrete evidence was required to keep a suspect in prison.

The court subsequently approved bail but set bail bonds at Rs100,000.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2019.