The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday reserved its verdict in the review petitions filed against the declaration of Sacked Employees Act, 2010 null and void, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The verdict will now be pronounced today (Friday) at 11:00 AM.

A five-member larger bench of the apex court, led by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heard the petitions filed by the federal government as well as 16,000 affected government employees.

Speaking on the occasion, Attorney General (AG) of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan said he wanted to clarify the suggestions given by him. “The suggestions I have given will not apply to those employees whose services were terminated because of misconduct or frequent absence. And if counsels for all the employees concur with the government’s suggestions, then these will be completely implemented,” he said, adding if the lawyers had objections to these suggestions, the government was ready to take these back. “The court is requested to accept the review petitions and give a decision on them,” he prayed.

Addressing the AGP, Justice Bandial said it should be borne in mind that although the case was the subject of ‘review’, it had expanded even beyond that. “As a matter of fact, it was heard from the very start,” he said, adding the court had defined the laws afresh.

“There are certain fundamental principles for recruitment in government offices. There are judicial precedents which lay down the rule that recruitments should be done on ‘merit’,” he remarked. 

The judge said that a large number of government employees had been affected by the annulment of the Act.

“It is our endeavor that justice is done in the case and people’s basic rights are protected. At the same time, let me emphasise that although we are sympathetic towards the affectees, for us, the constitution and laws of the land are still of paramount importance,” he said, and made it clear even if the apex court would give any concessions to the sacked employees, these would be in the light of the laws and the constitution.

“The rest is between the ex-employees and the government,” Justice Bandial concluded.

Reporter Amanat Gishkori