Verdict: Promotions of over 100 bureaucrats illegal says IHC

The petition had been filed by 50 officers who believe they were wrongly overlooked.

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday declared the promotion of over 100 bureaucrats illegal. These bureaucrats had been promoted to Grade-21 during the last couple of years.

The order was passed by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the IHC in response to a petition filed by 50 civil servants belonging to different occupational groups in March this year.

The petitioners, while challenging the Central Selection Board’s decision, had maintained that their promotions had been overlooked and they had been superseded by junior civil servants. They said they were ignored despite having a service career expanding over 33 years with no adverse remarks in their annual confidential reports.

They claimed that the board had given them less marks and illegally promoted other bureaucrats by giving them undue benefit. Some of the petitioners, they said, had even earned two highest performance evaluation reports for 2009 and 2010.

The court, in its judgment, observed that all the board meetings held in this regard were illegal, and hence of no consequence. It also observed that the civil servants who had earned their promotion without superseding others shall continue to hold their current positions.

Commission constituted for encroachments

Meanwhile, the same court constituted a commission to prepare a report on the encroachments removed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA). The commission has been directed to submit its report next week.

The decision was taken by Justice Siddiqui while hearing a petition challenging the illegal structures in public places. During the hearing, Municipal Administration Deputy Director Syed Hassan Rizvi submitted a report on the encroachments removed by the civic agency. However, the court was dissatisfied with the steps, observing that demolishing a few bricks cannot be considered as removal of encroachments.

The court then formed a one-member commission comprising IHC Assistant Registrat Muhammad Shafiq and directed him to submit a report next week.

It also said that the commission’s expenses, which roughly amount to Rs100,000, shall be borne by the CDA.

Earlier on Thursday, the court had directed the CDA to remove all encroachments from parks and greenbelts. Jawad Nazir, the civic agency’s counsel, had told the court that the CDA had served notices to nearly 50 kiosks encroaching on greenbelts.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2012.