ISLAMABAD, Oct 14 (APP):The Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan (FCCP) on Wednesday accepted the petitions of 123 candidates who had qualified examinations conducted by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), restoring their status and rejecting the commission’s stance.
A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan heard the case.
During the proceedings, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi observed that the leaked examination papers had been recovered after the candidates had cleared the examinations and the PPSC had issued its recommendations for their appointments.
Justice Najafi asked how many PPSC officials had faced action in connection with the paper leak. The commission’s counsel informed the court that four officials had been dismissed.
The judge observed that the candidates had neither been issued show-cause notices nor given an opportunity to explain their position before being removed from their jobs.
Counsel for the petitioners submitted that his clients had been working in their respective departments after passing the PPSC examinations and had also received four months’ salaries from the Punjab Finance Department.
He further explained that, following a report regarding the leaked examination papers, the PPSC withdrew its recommendations for the candidates’ appointments, leading to their removal from service.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court accepted the petitions filed by the 123 successful candidates and ordered restoration of their status.
Source: APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)
