Contempt of court: Ministers, top officials served notices

Ministry of Education employees still not regularised three months after court orders.

ISLAMABAD:

Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday served notices to top government officials, in response to a contempt application filed by five officials from the Ministry of Education and Training (MET), for non-compliance with court orders.

Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi issued notices to Minister of Education and Training Shiekh Waqas Akram, Regularisation Sub Committee Chairman Khurshid Shah, Secretary Cabinet Division Nargis Sethi, Secretary MET Qamar Zaman and Secretary Establishment Division Taimoor Azmat and directed them to submit their reply within 15 days.



Earlier, Justice Azim Khan Afridi on November 27, 2012 passed the order to regularise all of the officials of MET within three months under the policy approved by the then prime minister. However, the respondents failed to comply with the court order and the petitioners requested the court to start contempt proceeding against the officials.

Advocate Shoaib Shaheen, counsel of the petitioners, informed the court that despite the passage of three months the respondents have not complied with the orders.

This is the second time that court has issued notices to the respondents for not complying with the order. On January, 22 the same bench issued notices to the same officials for not complying with the order after over 31 employees filed contempt application against them. During the course of hearing, Justice Qureshi also directed the officials to appear before the court and explain why order was not followed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2013.