SC accepts factory owners' pleas against SESSI

SESSI was demanding more contribution than allowed by the law

KARACHI: The Supreme Court accepted on Tuesday the plea filed by factory owners regarding the mandatory contribution to the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI).

A two-member bench comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah was hearing the plea at Supreme Court Karachi registry. Counsel for factory owners, Zaheeruddin Minhas argued that the factory owners had contributed a far bigger amount of money. Factory owners said that minimum salary fixed by law was 10,000 rupees but SESSI demanded the contribution on more than Rs10,000 salary. They said that from 2000 to 2016, minimum salary fixed under the law was Rs 10,000.  However, now the minimum salary has been fixed at Rs16,200.

The court had already ordered to contribute 6% of the minimum salary according to the current law. The court also has ordered to adjust the additional contribution and contribute 6% of the minimum salary according to the law present since 2016. Some 55 factory owners had filed appeals in the Supreme Court. Sindh enacted new laws in 2016 after the 18th Amendment. The SHC's verdict of May 2018 was challenged in Supreme Court.

Dismissal case

The SC ordered to submit the copies of advertisement given for the appointments of police officials who were dismissed from Police Department Hyderabad region.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah was hearing the pleas filed by dismissed police officials at the Karachi registry. Government lawyer argued that these police officials were dismissed on the orders of Supreme Court for being illegally appointed. The officials were given a chance to get reappointed in 2017 after their dismissal.

Petitioners' counsel maintained that all of the officials were serving at the time of appointments. The court inquired from the police officials that what was the date when the advertisement was given for appointment. DIG informed the court that he doesn't know the date. The court ordered police officials to submit the copy of the advertisement.

Reply sought

The same bench sought a reply from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in a case of non-regularisation of the services PIA employees.

The bench was hearing the contempt of court pleas filed by Raja Parvez Iqbal and other PIA employees at the Supreme Court. PIA's counsel maintained that the appointments in PIA are restricted according to the judicial orders. Appointments and regularisation cannot be made due to the restriction imposed by the court.

The court sought a detailed reply over the issue on the next hearing. The plea filed argued that the Supreme Court ordered to regularise the employees in August 2018. But PIA was not implementing these orders. 

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