Judicial allowance: ‘Should all court staff get special pay?’

FJMC principal issued contempt notice for not depositing fine.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Friday sought assistance from the attorney general and the advocate general on a petition moved by employees of the district judiciary seeking special judicial allowance.

Abdul Malik and others have filed the petition through Advocate Azhar Siddique.

Siddique said staff of the subordinate judiciary was performing duties similar to the LHC staff who were getting the allowance.

The counsel said petitioners were entitled to equal treatment with staff members of the LHC, as per Article 4 of the Constitution.

He said the special judicial allowance equal to three times the initial substantive pay in addition to judicial allowance and utility allowance had been allowed to judges in district judiciary and to the LHC staff but it had not been extended to the petitioners working in the subordinate judiciary of the Punjab.



The counsel also questioned the control of the government on financial and administrative matters of the courts.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah observed that retaining financial and administrative affairs of the district judiciary by the provincial government was prima facie.

He issued notices to the attorney general and the advocate general to assist the court on the matter. The next hearing is scheduled for December 27.

Court moved against FJMC principal

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday sought a reply from Fatima Jinnah Medical College principal on a contempt of court petition.

Justice Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan passed the orders on a petition moved by Advocate Mian Aslam.

Aslam said the high court had fined the principal Rs50,000 for misuse of his powers and authority.

The lawyer said the principal had not deposited the fine.

The petitioner requested the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the principal and direct him to deposit the money.

The court heard initial arguments and issued a notice to the principal for January 16.

LHC reserves judgement on NPB pension case

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday reserved judgment on a petition by retired employees of the National Bank of Pakistan (LBP) against reduction of their pension to 33 per cent.

Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan was hearing the case.

The petitioners’ counsel told the court that the board of governors of the NBP had reduced the pensions from 70 percent to 33 percent. He said the decision was illegal, unconstitutional and malafide.

He said the Supreme Court had ruled that the board of governors did not have the authority to amen the rules of the bank.

He said according to the law, retired employees of federal institutions received 70 per cent pension.

Yet, he said, by the order of the board of governors, the pensioners were being given 33 per cent.

A law officer representing the government told the court that the board had the power to amend the pension rules. He said the decision did not violate the law.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2013.