Govt servants working as journalists: SHC orders cancelling accreditation cards

NAWABSHAH: The Sindh High Court, division bench Hyderabad, has ordered to cancel all the accreditation cards of the government employees, working as journalists, and also revoke their press clubs’ memberships.

The SHC Hyderabad bench directed Sindh Information Department to get cancelled the memberships of the press clubs’ of all such government employees, working as journalists, and to submit the report within one month.

The order came following a petition by the journalists, Margoob Ahmed Rizwan, and others in 2017 at SHC divisional bench Hyderabad against the government employees, working as journalists, stating that the government’s employees on the basis of accreditation cards issued by Sindh Information Department, have acquired Nawabshah Press Club’s membership.

These employees went on to grab the posts of the office-bearers of the Nawabshah Press Club by expelling the genuine and senior journalists from the club. It also stated that the government servants, working as journalists, are violating Sindh Civil Servants Conduct Rules 21, 22 and 23, as no government employee can work as reporter or as the editorial staffer or director news in any news organization. The Sindh High Court had asked the DCs to submit a list of all the government servants of their respective districts, working as journalists.

Complying with the SHC’s order, the DC Nawabshah submitted a list of 75 government employees and a lawyer, who were working as journalists. The SHC Hyderabad bench, ordered the Sindh Information Department for cancelling their accreditation cards and press club memberships with immediate effect. The court had also ordered the DC Nawabshah to initiate departmental enquiry against 75 government employees working as journalists.