Appointment of lower court judges challenged

PESHAWAR:

A lawyer challenged a notification which led to the appointment of 120 lower court judges.

Waheedullah, a lawyer, filed the petition through his attorney Advocate Aminur Rahman. He said the PHC invited applications for 77 vacant positions for civil judges, judicial magistrates and area qazis through an ad on September 3, 2013.

He claimed changes to the K-P Judicial Service Rules 2001 rendered him and hundreds of other candidates ineligible.

The petitioner named the K-P government, secretary law and K-P Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman as respondents.

Waheedullah said he had applied for one of posts and was astonished to discover another advertisement on August 10, 2015 by the PSC to fill 120 vacant positions, but with a different eligibility criterion. “Applicants who applied for the post of civil judges advertised by the PHC should apply afresh,” the petition quoted the ad as saying.

Waheedullah said the 2001 judicial rules had been drastically amended surreptitiously without into account the future of hundreds of law graduates.

The petitioner argued the questioned notification deserved to be struck down as it went against the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2015.