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HYDERABAD: A constitutional division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC), Hyderabad circuit, has directed focal person of the secretary SGA&CD (Services, General Administration & Coordination Department) to consider appointment of 14 petitioners, who are differently abled persons, for some government jobs as per the relevant quota.
The bench comprising Justice Arbab Ali Hakro and Justice Riazat Ali Sahar signed the order on March 19 after hearing matter a day earlier.
The 14 persons had filed a petition in 2021 stating that in response to an advertisement appearing in newspapers on Nov 10, 2017, they appeared for interview before the selection committee, constituted by the SGA&CD at district level, on Feb 2, 2018.
The joint petition was filed by Mohammad Naveed Qureshi and 13 others through Advocate Shakir Nawaz Shar.
According to the petitioners, after the interview, a list was pasted on the notice board in the office of the Hyderabad deputy commissioner. The list carried the names of four of the petitioners as qualified. However, they said, when they approached the respondent officials for appointment letters, they did not get satisfactory replies.
The petitioners alleged that the respondents demanded bribe for consideration of their cases. They further alleged that those candidates who paid bribe were appointed. They also accused the respondents of favouritism.
The petitioners prayed the court to for directives to the respondents for their appointment in view of the recommendation list.
On December 23, 2021, the court was informed by the additional advocate general and assistant advocate general through an undertaking that proper scrutiny of the petitioners’ documents would be conducted and they would be accordingly accommodated. On this, the court had issued an order that read: “Let exercise be completed within a period of one month and report be submitted for perusal in chamber”.
Later, the petitioners filed a contempt plea against official respondents as they were not given jobs.
On March 18, Hyderabad DC Zain ul Abiden Memon appeared before the constitutional division bench and submitted a detailed report, including a list pursuant to court’s Aug 25, 2022. He stated that out of the 14 petitioners, six had been appointed in different departments. The remaining ones, were recommended for jobs in the Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) but they could not be given jobs due to financial constraints and lack of vacancies, he submitted.
The DC requested that the matter be resolved by the departmental selection committee. He stated that the recruitment in BS-1 to BS-4 could only proceed on SGA&CD secretary’s directive.
AAG Rafiq Ahmed Dahiri sought time to summon the focal person from the office of the SGA&CD, which the bench allowed and adjourned the matter to April 8.
Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2025
