SHC told promotions to DSP rank made after approval of competent authority

The AIG legal of the Sindh police informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Saturday that the process of departmental promotion committee (DPC) for promotions of DSPs was completed after the approval of a competent authority.

Filing comments on a petition of police officers against promotions of junior officers to the DSP rank, the AIG legal submitted that the issue of seniority list and promotions to the rank of DSP fell within the domain of the Sindh service tribunal.

The officer submitted that any police officer aggrieved may have the recourse to the competent forum, which was the service tribunal, for redress of grievances. He informed the high court that the seniority of lower subordinates was settled after passing of departmental examination course, lower school course and intermediate courses, whereas the petitioners’ cases were not applicable to the seniority and promotions of ASIs.

He submitted that the case of petitioners had already been disposed of by the SHC, and requested the high court to dismiss the petition.

The petitioners, Syed Saeed Akhtar Naqvi and others, submitted in the petition that they were senior officers in the police department and entitled to be considered for the post of DSP in terms of police rules and seniority lists prepared by the police department.

Their counsel submitted that the DPC had promoted officers who were juniors to the petitioners to the rank of DSP, which was in violation of the court judgment.

The high court was requested to declare that the petitioners were entitled to be promoted to the DSP rank in view of the Supreme Court’s judgment as well as the seniority list of the police department.

A division bench of the SHC comprising Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto and Justice Adnanul Karim Memon after taking the comments of respondents on record directed the remaining respondents to file their comments on the next date of hearing.

The high court had on a previous hearing observed that it had to consider as to whether the determination of eligibility or fitness of a police officer was a question on which the jurisdiction of the service tribunal had been barred and whether the petitioners were qualified and eligible to be considered for promotion to the post of DSP in terms of recruitment rules notified by the Sindh government.