SC upholds Sindh police officers' seniority

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has dismissed appeals by the Sindh government and declared that Sindh Police officers' pre-2019 seniority is lawful. 

A three-judge bench, led by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, dismissed appeals challenging the Sindh Service Tribunal’s decision and upheld the restoration of seniority, declaring it a constitutional right that cannot be ignored.

The court clarified that the reinstatement of pre-2019 seniority is lawful, and all appeals filed by the Government of Sindh are rejected. According to the ruling, the affected officers will now be eligible for timely promotions, as seniority is a fundamental aspect of the service structure.

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The case concerned assistant sub-inspectors recruited in 1990, who were politically dismissed from service in 1991. The Supreme Court noted that in 1994, the then IG of Sindh had reinstated the officers based on their original date of appointment.

The judgment highlighted that while financial benefits were not provided at the time of reinstatement, the officers’ original seniority was restored. In 2019, however, their seniority dates were altered without issuing showcause notices, which the court found to be unlawful.

The Government of Sindh had requested that the officers’ seniority be linked to appointments in 1991 and 1992 rather than 1990. The Sindh Service Tribunal had declared the 2019 seniority list illegal and ordered the restoration of the 1990 dates, a decision the Supreme Court has now upheld.