The Lahore High Court on Wednesday has sought reply from the chief secretary and the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) besides 252 employees whose appointments were challenged for being in violation of merit and Recruitment Policy 2004. Justice Shujat Ali Khan took up the petition and issued notice to the respondents after hearing preliminary arguments.
Ch Shoaib Saleem Advocate had filed the petition challenging appointments of 252 employees of the PEF with the assertion that all these appointments for posts of directors, deputy directors and assistant directors in various departments of the Authority were made in violation of the Recruitment Policy 2004. This policy is followed by all the government departments for appointing their employees from grade 11 and above.
The lawyer stated in his petition that the PEF hired all the employees on the basis of nepotism and thereafter moved a summary through the education department to the chief secretary to get these illegal appointments approved by the chief minister.
He further pleaded that the chief secretary forwarded the above stated summary to the S&GAD department of the civil secretariat which originally formulated the recruitment policy. However, the S&GAD department rejected the summary moved by the PEF with the objection that this policy was made to ensure merit in appointments in all the departments and it is followed throughout Punjab, the lawyer said.
Ch Shoaib Advocate further argued that the PEF in connivance with the Education department is hell bent on getting these illegal appointments approved with retrospect effect from the chief minister, so that their appointments are not challenged before the court of law and the Authority has also moved another summary to the chief secretary to get these appointments legal by securing favour from the chief minister.
The petitioner prayed the court to declared the appointment of 252 employees of the PEF as illegal and unlawful and restrain them from performing their duties with immediate effect. The petitioner also prayed the court to order a high-level inquiry against all such appointments and fix the responsibility of worst nepotism shown by the Punjab Education Foundation. After hearing the arguments, the LHC sought reply from respondents within four weeks.