Amanullah VS IG Police

JUDGMENT SHEET

P II.SHA WA IT H IG H COUIIT, ABI}OT'TAI}AD I} EN C TI

.IUI)ICIAL DEPARTMENT

Writ Pctition No.l06l-A t>f 2017

JUD(}MEN'T'

l)ula ol hcuring 03.t0.201u

Palilioncr(s.) ...(lnan llah dn.l others) by Mr 4btlul ,\uhoor Khun .l,lvtt at(. .....

llasponlla nl (.\ ) (lnspector General of l)olicc. Khyher l'trkhIunkhy'u. l)e.tltoyt ur tIc') !\.1r. l1r.:'ir' Zuhoor,4hbasi,,4ssistont,4dtrxute General alongu,ilh l7r. ll,:lolloob Khan,l)SP, Shatiul ('ircle. ( i ppet Kohislan ......

SYED MUHAMMAD ATTIOUE SIIAII, .I.-

I)cl"itioncrs through instant writ pctition undcr Articlc 199 ol thc Constitution ol' Islamic ltcpublic ol'Pakistan, 1973, approachcd this C'ourr, with thc lirllowing praycr:-

" h ,'.r, therefore, humbly proyed thal on scceptonce 0J the instant constituliqnul petition, lhe respondent No.3 may graciously he directed to issue lhe flppointmenl orders of the pelitioners agoinsl thc posl of Police Constsbles ol Districl Kohislan 0n the analogv tf' similtrly pluced candidotes out ol lhe xtnrc merit list forthwilh. Any other writ, order or reliel ts ( lhis llonourahle Courl nut.1'

v 2

deem fit and tppropriate in lhe circumstances of the ctse, mry also be issuetl/passetl."

2 ln csscncc, the gricvancc ol' thc pctitioncrs is thal thcy WCIC duly declarcd as qualificd alicr passing scrccning tcst conductcd bv N'l'S for thc post ol'policc constablcs at I)istrict Kohistan and conscqucntly thcy wcrc intcrvicwctl and thcir pcrsonality tcst was also conductcd a[ I)olicc Lincs, Abboltabad on 15.1 1.201(t. I lowcvcr.

somc o[' thc pctilioncrs wcrc rccommcndcd lilr appointn-rcnt and thc rcst wcrc rclcrrcd kr CIro Sclcction Iloard, Pcshawar for rcvicw, whcrc thcy appcarcd and also subjcctcd 1o inlcrvicw and pcrsonality tcst, and wcrc rccommcndcd lirr appointrncnt; howcvcr, rcspondcnl No.3 nolwithslanding thc rccom rncndalions of' Ilcvicw Iloard and Sclcction Committcc, rc [uscd to issuc appointn-rcnt ordcrs of thc pctitioncrs. IIcncc. thc prcscnt wflt pctltlon.

-) l'hc rcspondcnts subrnittcd thcir parawisc comrncnts to thc writ pctition and adrnillcd thal thc pctitioncrs rcmaincd succcssIul in thcir N'l'S tcst, intcr-vicw as wcll as personality tcst and rccomtrcndcd by thc Sclcction IJoard lbr thcir appointrncnt against

thc vacanL posts ol constablcs in I)istrict Kohistarr Ilowcvcr, thcy asscrtcd that thc prcscnt pctition is hit by principlc ol' 'laches ', as thc mattcr agitatcd by thc pctitioncrs pcrl.ains to thc ycar,20l6 4 Argumcnts ol'thc learncd cor.rnscl litr thc pctitioncrs and lcarncd AAG hcard and thc availablc rccord pcruscd with thcir ablc assistancc 5 At thc vcry oulsct it may bc nrcntionccl that this Clourt had carlicr dccidcd similar W.l, No.l3- A12017 and 17-A12017, through comrlon judgrncnt datcd I tt.07.20 17, whcrcin, it has bccn obscrvcd thar:

"7. Admitledly, the raspondents Itove nol denied the foctum o/ success./itl complelion of tlte requisile seleclion process lt-1, lhe pelilioners for their recruilment ns tonslnhles in l)istricl Kohislott. lhtweyer, the respondenls osserled thal tlrere were only 33 vocancies availahle for districl Kohistott, which were filled by appointing 33 caniidotes. T'he ossertion of respondents regonling numher of vocancies htas conlroverled hy lhe pclilioners and in this regord, lhey placed on rccorl policy lelter containiug inslruclions regording recruilmenl of constuhles in Kl, l\tlice through NTS heoring No.10348-79 tluted 21.10.2016, issued hy respondent No.l, Inspeclor General oJ I'olice, Khyher l\tkhtunkhwa, Central Police Office , Iteshawar, uldressed to CCItO, l'eshowur, RPOs, KPK and DPOs, KI'K. The soi letter cleorll' provides lhat'lhe district-wise letuil of' ovtiloble voconcies is enclosel hcrewilh Jitr raud! ygfeygn.e. The DPOs to coll lhe ctndidates .for psychologictl lest/inlentiew as proposerl against lhe vactncy posilion of eaclt Dislricl'.

i

'l'he vacancy posilion lbr Dislricl Kohislott, provirled in lhe tohle onnexed therelo is ns under:

iIitlit l.llP l ttctrttcl l'Lr:tnc.\

JJ l6 70 90

8.It has heen also provitlctl in lhe snid letter thol lhe h'aiting lisl of lhe candidates prepnred hy the NTS would remoitt vttlitl till 3l't Decemher, 2016. T-he exlracl .from tha le er in this respect is reproduced helotu .fbr reody reJbrence and convenience:

"l/otitlil! of Meril I'isl up-ttt 31" Dccenher, 20 t6.

I'he waiting li of he condidoles itt order of me l $ prepflred h! lhe N'l'S shoukl he ispfuyed on pronine, Phces i,t ttll l\rlice tffices trul lhe s(me hos also haett uplol ctl o lih)'ber l\tkhluttkhtort l\tlicc oflicirtl wehsite. 'l'ha wttiting list ttould renr t vrtlitl litl 31" Decembet, 2016 trtrrl utl)r occurr'ng vttcttttcf irt lhe istricl tt'ill be.lilled b.t' Picki,rti uP cottdidotes .frot the woili,tg lisl in otdu 0fsenioit)'."

I-earned A,4G when cofionted wilh lhe said letler daled 21.10.2016 availahle on recor ' wos unohle to controvert the contenliorts of the !earnetl counsel for the pelilioner in lhis regarrl ralher he calegorically fidmitled lhe ganuineness (t ttre said documenl heing issuul h), the competenl outhoril!. I-eorned ,4AG utult! nol protluce on! olher tlocumenl in rehultal lo lhe tlocumenl submitled hy lhe !cnrnetl counsel for lhe petitioners.

9.UndoubledlY, o 'right' did (ccrue lo lhe pelilioners' when lhe'1t inilidll opplietl, appeorert and qualiiie lhe requisilc lest ond inlerview and were subsequenlly tluly recommentlerl for appointment os constahles 'fhercaJier, h), lhe concerned Selection Board- deniol lhereof hy the respondents on Jlimsl' tnd vague grounds is obviously ag nsl Irtnsparency ud good governance-

10.Keeping in view the ahove staled .fitcts ontl circumsltutces of lha prascttl cttst:'

lltis Court retcher! lo on incscapahlc conclusion thot al the time of recruitment of cottstohles oJ Districl Kohistatt, 70 vocrtncies *,arc l!,ittg vflcanl bul respondenl No'3 in view of clenr inslructions hy the compelettl oulhorily has failed to comply b'ilh the some

and relused to appoint lhe pelilioners wilhout msigning ,t)i pluusihle reusotts notwilhsttnding lhe successful compleliott oJ oll lhe codal formalities that lott untler lhe vigilant eye of respondenl No.3. 'l'herefore, this Courl holds lhfll llre pelitioners were dull' rccommended hy lhe compelenl Seleclion Roard for appointment and respttndenl No.3 despile availahilily of vacancies in District Kohislon violated the clear inslructiotts tt/ lhe con pelenl aulhority, wltich ocliott of respondenl No.3 is illegal, withoul jurisdiclion, wilhoul lawJul aulhorily and hasad on molaJide on his parl.

ll. ConsequentlY, hoth lha t'ril petitions are accepted and respondenl No,3 is direcled lo issue dppointment orders of lhe pelitioners agoinsl lhe posls ttJ police tonstnhles I Distticl Kohislan t'ith imnrcdinle elJect. All the C.Ms filed by tlrc leurned counsel for the pelitittrrers sland disposed ol occordingly.

6.It is obvious lrom rccord of'thc casc that thc prcscnt pctitioncrs having succcsslully clualifir:d thc rccluisitc tcsts and intcrvicw wcl'c duiy rccolnmcndcd by thc sclcction Committcc/lloard lor appointmcnt and they wcrc rcquired to havc appointcd by thc rcspondcnts in vicw ol- thc said rccornnlcndations. I lowcvcr, thc rcspondcnts without assigning any cogcnt and plausiblc rcason dcnicd appointmcnt to thc pctitioncrs dcspitc thc lact that thcy obtaincd highcr marks than thosc r'r'ho havc bccn appointcd by thcm, as shown by thc pctitioncrs in thc tablcs drawn in thc rcjoindcr in rcspol'lsc to answcr Para-4 ol thc commcnts filcd by thc rcspondcnts' 'l l-rc wl'rich could not bc controvc(cd by thcm' t

pctitbncrs, who wcrc sailing in thc samc boat with thosc who wcrc pctitioncrs in thc aforcmcnlioncd writ pctltlons, WCTC rcquircd to havc eivcn sin'rilar- trcatmcnt. Ncvcrlhclcss, thcy wcrc ignorcd by t.hc lcspondcnls with malafidc, which is palpablc on Ihcc o1'thc rccord. 'l'hc right accrucd to thc pclitioncrs alicr thcir succcssful complction ol'proccss, could noL bc dcnicd to thcm and thcy wcrc cntitlcd kr bc cxtcndcd similar trcalmcnt. Morcovcr, thclc wcrc 70 vacancics lor l)ilrict Kohsitan during thc ycar, 2016 as mcntioncd in thc judgmcnt of this Court in thc abovcnrcntioncd writ pctilions and as pcr asscrtion ol' thc rcspondcnls in thcir commcnts, only 33 candidatcs WC[C appointcd during thc ycar, 2016, n.rcaning thcrcby, that thcrc wcrc availablc 37 morc vacancics, out ol which 24 candidatcs wcrc appoinlcd in vicw o1' dircctions ol this Court rcndcrcd 1n thc judgrncnt datcd 18.07.2017 in writ pctil"ions r-cl'crrcd kr abovc As such, still l4 vacancics wcrc availablc at l-hc tin-rc whcn thc pctitioncrs wcrc rccommcndcd by t hr:

compctcnt Sclcction Committcc/ltcvicw lJoard bu1 [hcy wcrc ignorcd without any roason what to say about cogcnt or plausiblc rcason. Tn such a sccllarr(),

principlc <>[ 'laches ', as agilatcd by lcarncct AAG, docs not attracl or apply to lhc casc ofthc pctilioncrs.

7, In short and in vicw o[' lorcgoing discussion, t.his Court holds thal thc pctil-ioncrs arc 'similarly plctced' with thc pctitioncrs in thc aforcmcntioncd writ pctitions, thcrclirrc, thc satnc trcatmcnt would also bc givcn to lhcrn, in accorclancc witb law. Accordingly, thc prcscnt- writ pctiLion is allowcd and thc rcspondcnts arc dircctcd to adjust thc pctitioncrs against thc vacanl posts o1'conslablcs in l)istricl Kohislan.

Dr.03.10.2018. .tu tr

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