Supreme Court restores promotion rights of government employees

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday issued an important ruling on delays in the promotion of government employees, restoring the right of an eligible officer to promotion from the date of the first Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting and setting aside the decision of the Punjab Service Tribunal.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, Supreme Court Judge Justice Ayesha Malik authored the seven-page verdict, declaring the promotion of government employee Fakhar Majeed effective from January 21, 2012.

Earlier, the Punjab Service Tribunal had dismissed Fakhar Majeed’s appeal seeking promotion. The tribunal had ruled that an employee was not entitled to promotion from the date a vacant post became available.

In its verdict, the Supreme Court observed that the petitioner had requested restoration of his promotion from the date of the first departmental promotion committee meeting, a plea that was wrongly rejected by the tribunal.

The court held that promotion is a fundamental right and that the consequences of administrative negligence or delay cannot be imposed on an employee. It ruled that an eligible government servant must be considered for timely promotion by the departmental promotion committee.

The Supreme Court further stated that administrative inefficiency or delay cannot be used to penalise an employee and that delays or negligence in promotions do not affect the lawful rights of a government servant.

The court also directed government institutions to ensure timely promotions, emphasising that employees cannot be punished for administrative lapses beyond their control.

With these observations, the Supreme Court declared the Punjab Service Tribunal’s decision void and restored the promotion rights of the petitioner in accordance with the law.

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori