Supreme Court (SC) on Monday sought explanation from Sindh Chief Minister and Chief Secretary over reinstatement of an officer in the Education Department, who was terminated from service for making illegal recruitments in the department. Justice Gulzar Ahmed headed bench heard the case at Karachi Registry. Mansoor Ahmed has filed a petition requesting the court that he should also be reinstated like EDO Education Sukkur Abdul Ghaffar Mehr.
The apex court expressed displeasure over reinstatement of Abdul Ghaffar Mehr as EDO Education Sukkur and declared his reinstatement null and void. It declared the reinstatement an example of nepotism and ordered to stop payment of salary to the said official forthwith. Mehr was also directed to appear in the court whereas explanation from Sindh Chief Minister and Chief Secretary were also sought in this regard.
Justice Gulzar said that discriminatory attitude was injustice to the people of the province and an act of favouritism on part of rulers. Additional Advocate General Sarwar Khan told the court that Ghaffar Mehr was accused of making illegal appointments in education department. Chief Secretary recommended his removal from the job and then Chief Minister sacked him from service in 2005. However, in 2016, then-CM Syed Qaim Ali Shah withdrew that notification and reinstated him on his job. When the matter was placed before the sitting Chief Minister, Murad Shah he upheld the decision of his predecessor.
Justice Gulzar stated that how a chief minister can take such decision without completion of departmental proceedings on such matters. "Who gave the power to chief minister to reinstate a sacked official without a summary forwarded to him," Justice Gulzar remarked. He said facts are distorted in such matters. He remarked that this discrimination is a grave injustice to the people.
Meanwhile, SC adjourned the hearing of the case pertaining to alleged illegal appointments and embezzlement of funds in Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS) on the pray of counsels of the accused.
Former administrator and Chairman FCS Abdul Saeed Khan along with two other accused moved SC for bail in this case, which was rejected by Sindh High Court (SC). They prayed that SHC dismissed the bail petitions by not considering into the factual position of the case. Accused has been charged with 155 illegal appointments and irregularities in awarding of contracts in FCS.