Women University Swabi: PHC rejects petition seeking regularisation of staff

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has dismissed a petition filed by over 50 faculty and administrative members of the Women University Swabi seeking regularisation of their contractual employment.

The court reaffirmed the principle that contractual appointments do not confer an automatic right to permanent absorption unless explicitly provided under law. The petitioners contended that they had been serving the university for an extended period on sanctioned posts and, therefore, deserved to be regularized.

However, the court found that their initial appointments had been made on a contract basis without undergoing an open and competitive selection process, as required by law. Representing the respondent university, Barrister Syed Saad Ali Shah argued that public sector appointments must adhere to due process, transparency, and open competition, as mandated by law.

The university maintained that granting regularisation without following a lawful recruitment process would set a precedent contrary to established legal principles and Supreme Court rulings. In its detailed judgment, the Court emphasised that public employment is a public trust, and any deviation from statutory requirements for hiring could compromise the integrity of recruitment processes in academia.