KARACHI, July 22: The Sindh High Court has declared unlawful suspension of seven deputy district attorneys and reinstated them in service with immediate effect.

Petitioners Mohammad Kamil Khan, Iqbal Ahmad Solangi, Farrukh Riaz, Suresh Kumar, Azizur Rahman, Saeed Ahmed and Syed Syeda Julie Zaidi informed the court that they were inducted into service after a written test and viva voce but they were suspended from service on Sept 22, 2007 for three months under the government servant efficiency and discipline rules.

Their counsel, Gohar Iqbal, submitted before a division bench consisting of acting Chief Justice Azizullah Memon and Justice Khalid Ali Z. Qazi that their suspension was in violation of the efficiency and discipline rules.

They could be suspended under the rules only for three months which could be extended for another three months for reasons to be recorded in writing. There was no extension order on record and they should have been deemed to have been reinstated after the expiry of initial three months.

Four of the deputy district attorneys are from Karachi and one each from Hyderabad, Sukkur and Ghotki.

Notice issued

A division bench of the Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the provincial health department in a petition questioning its failure to issue appointment letters to two doctors selected as assistant professors.

Advocate Ghulam Qadir Jatoi submitted on behalf of Dr Mariam Jamila Jatoi and Dr Aasia Perveen that they applied for two vacancies advertised by the department during the caretaker regime. They were selected after a written test and an interview and were informed by caretaker health minister Fauzia Lari that they would be appointed on a year’s contract pending recommendation by the Sindh Public Service Commission.

After the induction of the elected government, however, the lawyer said, the department was dragging its feet so that new candidates favoured by the new set-up could be inducted. He said the department’s omission to issue appointment letters amounted to infringement of their fundamental rights. A division bench consisting of acting Chief Justice Azizullah M. Memon and Justice Khalid Ali Z. Qazi issued the respondent department a notice for July 29.

Notices set aside

The Sindh High Court has set aside notices for sealing, eviction and demolition of shops in a Bahadarabad market.

The shops in Qurtaba Market, KCHS Union, Block 3, Bahadarabad, were sought to be demolished by the Karachi Building Control Authority for being in dilapidated condition and for posing a threat to public safety. The notices were issued without providing the owners of the shops anopportunity of hearing. When the owners challenged the notices through Advocate Chaudhry Rashid, the SHC asked its nazir to visit the site and report his findings to it. The nazir said in his report that there apparently was no imminent threat. The KBCA counsel admitted that the petitioners were not heard as required by Section 14 of the Sindh Building Control Ordinance.

A division bench consisting of Justices Mrs Qaiser Iqbal and Khwaja Naveed Ahmed set aside the impugned notices as unlawful. It, however, observed that the KBCA would be at liberty to proceed against the petitioners strictly in accordance with the provisions of the SBCO.

Notice issued

A division bench of the Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the provincial health department in a petition questioning its failure to issue appointment letters to two doctors selected as assistant professors.

Advocate Ghulam Qadir Jatoi submitted on behalf of Dr Mariam Jamila Jatoi and Dr Aasia Perveen that they applied for two vacancies advertised by the department during the caretaker regime. They were selected after a written test and an interview and were informed by caretaker health minister Fauzia Lari that they would be appointed on a year’s contract pending recommendation by the Sindh Public Service Commission.

After the induction of the elected government, however, the lawyer said, the department was dragging its feet so that new candidates favoured by the new set-up could be inducted. He said the department’s omission to issue appointment letters amounted to infringement of their fundamental rights. A division bench consisting of acting Chief Justice Azizullah M. Memon and Justice Khalid Ali Z. Qazi issued the respondent department a notice for July 29.

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