LAHORE - A Lahore High Court official, who has given 25-year of his life to the institution, appealed to Chief Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq to order his promotion on Saturday.

Muhammad Akmal Khan, senior court associate/DRR Civil, filed the appeal submitting that he was neither considered in 2009 for promotion nor he was considered subsequently in later years 2015 and 2017. He said he is a regular employee of the Lahore High Court having 25 years immaculate career to his credit. Out of 25 years, he had 15 years court and 10 years office administration experience. He said he is hard working, industrious, honest and a dedicated employee. Despite years long service, he had been deprived of his regular promotion which is due since 2009, the appellant said.

Khan said the matter in question is a glaring example of misuse of Rule 7, 8, and Rule 9 and Rule 26 of the Lahore High Court Establishment Appointment and Conditions of Service Rules, 1964 (1981). He appealed to the CJ that according to extract of minutes of meeting of administrative committee held on June 6, 2009,  the readers and private secretaries were ousted to accord promotion as assistant registrars being of same grade/scale and feeding cadre of slot of assistant registrars were only assistant and personal assistants, meaning thereby that private secretaries and readers/ court associates were ultimately have to be considered as feeding cadres for the slot of deputy registrars which has not been considered.

Khan said along with others he also moved a representation on Feb 14, 2012 for up-gradation  when the court associate of high of different provinces including Balochistan and Sindh had been awarded upgradation  and through a notification No. F.1/16/2015, time scale promotion was awarded to the court associates of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Subsequently, slot of court associates was also upgraded to BS-19 through office order No 9685-B/1-A- 2(a) 2014-2015) which was issued on March 19, 2015, he said.

Khan also said that no legislation could have been formulated as judicial verdict was in the field. He said decision of committee is related to Article 202 of the Constitution, where appointment & conditions of service is convered under Article 208 of the Constitution and legislation under it requires compulsory approval by the governor of the province along with the approval of full court which aspect has not been given attention.   He said that the departmental representatives gave affirmative undertaking before Tribunal in his appeal in 2013 that the grievances of the appellant would be redressed but the department without hearing the appellant and without passing any speaking order rejected his claim through intimation bearing no date, no annexure and whereas, the same kind of undertaking given in other appeals of employees in which, the parties were called upon, after personal hearing, quasi judicial orders were passed by the authority vide order dated June 1, 2016 through which previous order was revised and new seniority list was issued. He said the appellant was discriminated and ignored for his promotion as deputy registrar although he had about 25 years un-blemished service in his cadre. He appealed to the Chief Justice to accept his appeal and order his promotion on regular basis as deputy registrar from the due date of 2009 and if needed the matter be sent to the legislative wing for forwarding comprehensive report & proposal/opinion under the relevant existing rules of the LHC establishment.