A full bench of Lahore High Court (LHC) reserved its verdict on hundreds of identical petitions against dismissal of prosecutors in Punjab. Petitioners Sarfraz Ahmed and others had sought court's indulgence to get them restored. The sacked officers had moved a constitutional petition challenging the removal order and asked the court to stay its implementation.
Petitioners said they were appointed between June 2006 and September 2007 under the Contract Appointment Policy 2004. They said that there was a criteria to remove them from service, but the government had sacked them after they had failed in interviews conducted by a selection committee months after their appointment. The officers claimed that they had passed interviews before being appointed and requested the court to declare the sacking orders illegal.
Punjab government in reply to the petitions had informed the court that 488 ad hoc prosecutors recruited by previous government throughout Punjab were failed to pass departmental examination taken for their confirmation, therefore, they were terminated. Earlier, the LHC full bench comprising Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Hafiz Tariq Nasim had reserved its judgement on these petitions after the arguments of the counsels were completed.
The petitioners moved to the Supreme Court asking that their point of view about the LHC observation for first come first serve should be heard. The apex court remanded the case to the LHC to hear the petitioners' point of view and then decide the matter. And now the LHC full bench again heard all the petitioners on Tuesday and reserved the verdict.