Good news: Staff of tribunals, special courts also to get judicial allowance
Sindh govt given five weeks to get stay against SHC order.
KARACHI:
Hundreds of employees and staff working at federal tribunals and special courts celebrated on Thursday after the Sindh High Court ordered that they will also be paid a judicial allowance.
Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Shafi Siddiqui were hearing a contempt-of-court application filed by the staff of the subordinate judiciary and a number of identical petitions filed by judicial staff of other special courts, including tribunals. They have been asking to be paid the same as the staff of the district and sessions courts.
Haider Imam Rizvi, Mehmoodul Hasan and Khaleeq Ahmed advocates represented the judicial staff.
Representing the Sindh government was Sindh Advocate General Abdul Fattah Malik who argued that the judicial allowance for one month has already been paid. He asked for more time to settle the issue.
The counsel for the petitioners referred to a memorandum issued by the Sindh government, allowing for the payment of judicial allowance for one month only and drew the attention of the court to the wording, arguing that the government was required to issue a notification every month for its payment.
He submitted that the order passed by the high court was very clear and made it obligatory upon the Sindh government, the alleged contemnor, to either obtain a stay order from the Supreme Court in the appeal filed by it (Sindh government) or to ensure payment of the monthly judicial allowance regularly and to also ensure payment of arrears in 15 days.
Defending the government’s position, the AG said that high court order has already been implemented and petitioner would continue to get allowance every month. “We are getting the matter fixed (at the apex court) but the hearing was adjourned every time therefore we are unable to get an order,” he said.
The bench then adjourned the proceedings till May 20, giving the government five weeks to secure an order from the Supreme Court in its appeal against the judgment of high court.
In the meantime, the bench hearing identical petitions by staff of tribunals and special courts in Sindh ordered payment of judicial allowance to them also.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2012.
Hundreds of employees and staff working at federal tribunals and special courts celebrated on Thursday after the Sindh High Court ordered that they will also be paid a judicial allowance.
Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Shafi Siddiqui were hearing a contempt-of-court application filed by the staff of the subordinate judiciary and a number of identical petitions filed by judicial staff of other special courts, including tribunals. They have been asking to be paid the same as the staff of the district and sessions courts.
Haider Imam Rizvi, Mehmoodul Hasan and Khaleeq Ahmed advocates represented the judicial staff.
Representing the Sindh government was Sindh Advocate General Abdul Fattah Malik who argued that the judicial allowance for one month has already been paid. He asked for more time to settle the issue.
The counsel for the petitioners referred to a memorandum issued by the Sindh government, allowing for the payment of judicial allowance for one month only and drew the attention of the court to the wording, arguing that the government was required to issue a notification every month for its payment.
He submitted that the order passed by the high court was very clear and made it obligatory upon the Sindh government, the alleged contemnor, to either obtain a stay order from the Supreme Court in the appeal filed by it (Sindh government) or to ensure payment of the monthly judicial allowance regularly and to also ensure payment of arrears in 15 days.
Defending the government’s position, the AG said that high court order has already been implemented and petitioner would continue to get allowance every month. “We are getting the matter fixed (at the apex court) but the hearing was adjourned every time therefore we are unable to get an order,” he said.
The bench then adjourned the proceedings till May 20, giving the government five weeks to secure an order from the Supreme Court in its appeal against the judgment of high court.
In the meantime, the bench hearing identical petitions by staff of tribunals and special courts in Sindh ordered payment of judicial allowance to them also.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2012.