PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has set aside Pakistan Post’s letter to terminate over 750 employees of its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Circle, ruling that no employee can be removed without scrutiny and due process.
A bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Farah Jamshed held that the authorities had failed to establish any illegality or irregularity in the recruitment process.The court observed that no departmental proceedings had been initiated against the employees, nor had their individual cases been examined before recommending termination.
The bench remarked that the higher judiciary could not allow employees to be made “scapegoats” in the absence of concrete evidence proving that their appointments violated the law or recruitment rules.
The judgment was issued on petitions filed by Aneeka Waheed and other employees through Advocate Sultan Muhammad Khan.The petitioners had challenged a July 10, 2024 communication that questioned the recruitment process and recommended cancellation of appointments made in 2023 for various posts, including postal clerks, sorters, postmen and mail runners. According to the petitions, the employees were recruited through a formal selection process, fulfilled all eligibility criteria and had already completed their probationary periods while performing their duties.
The petitioners argued that terminating their services at this stage would violate the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020, as well as their constitutional rights.During the proceedings, government authorities maintained that the recruitment process was suspicious and that favoured candidates had been selected.
They also referred to an inquiry report that questioned the hiring process and recommended action against those involved.However, Advocate Sultan Muhammad Khan contended that the appointments were made strictly on merit and in accordance with the law.
He further pointed out contradictions in the department’s stance, noting that it had initially defended the recruitment process before later relying on the inquiry report to challenge it.In its detailed judgment authored by Justice Ijaz Anwar, the court noted that the appointments had been recommended by the Departmental Selection Committee and that the respondents had failed to identify any specific irregularity in the recruitment process.
Citing several precedents of superior courts, the PHC ruled that the recruitment process was lawful and that no evidence had been produced to prove irregularities in the appointments.While dismissing petitions filed against the recruitment, the court directed the authorities to act strictly in accordance with the law and ensure that the employees were given a fair hearing before any adverse action was taken against them.
