SPSC moves FCC against SHC recruitment order

The Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) has approached the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), challenging orders of the Sindh High Court (SHC) that halted the recruitment process under the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE)-2024 and directed the production of confidential examination records before the court.

The petition seeks suspension of the SHC's orders dated May 14, 2026, and June 22, 2026, under which relief was granted to unsuccessful candidates at the very first hearing, followed by directions to seal, collect and produce their confidential examination records and answer scripts before the high court.

According to the SPSC, these directions have effectively suspended its ongoing recruitment process. The matter has been fixed for hearing on June 30 before an FCC division bench headed by Chief Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan.

Advocate Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmad Khokhar is representing the SPSC before the court.

According to the petition, the CCE-2024 was conducted strictly in accordance with the Sindh Public Service Commission Act, 2022, and the Recruitment Management Regulations, 2023, for recruitment to various provincial civil service posts.

The commission maintains that the entire examination process was conducted transparently, fairly and in line with the statutory framework.

The petition states that the advertisement for CCE-2024 was published on December 2, 2024, attracting 26,742 applications. Following scrutiny, a screening test was held on October 11, 2025, in which 11,179 candidates qualified for the written examination.

The written examination was conducted from December 22 to December 29, 2025. Out of 4,340 candidates who appeared, only 70 qualified after evaluation of their answer scripts, and the result was declared on May 6, 2026.

Following the announcement of the results, seven unsuccessful candidates filed constitutional petitions alleging lack of transparency and irregularities in the examination process.

The SPSC contends that the allegations are based on mere assumptions and are unsupported by any evidence of fraud, mala fide, tampering or violation of the applicable examination rules.

The commission submitted that the Constitutional Bench of the SHC granted relief at the very first hearing without issuing notices to either the Sindh government or the SPSC.

It further stated that through its June 22 order, the SHC directed that the petitioners' confidential examination records and answer scripts be secured, sealed and produced before the court through the sessions judge, Hyderabad.

The commission submitted that the court granted substantive interim relief without first determining questions relating to maintainability, the availability of an alternative statutory remedy and the locus standi of the petitioners.