MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): In a landmark ruling, the High Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has reinstated 50 non-gazetted employees of the Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan, suspending their relieving orders.
The AJK High Court’s decision has brought immense relief to the affected employees, who were removed from their services through orders dated February 15 and 20, 2025.
Syed Rashid Gilani and others, daily wage employees seeking regularisation, challenged their removal from service in the high court.
The petitioners argued that “they had successfully completed the selection process” and were entitled to regularization of their services, but, the Utility Stores Corporation removed them from service.
Represented by Barrister Syed Abdul Basit Gillani and Syed Mazher Azad Gillani, Advocates Supreme Court, they argued that the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Industries and Production in 2017, had directed USC to regularise their services after scrutiny and verification at the Zonal Office, none of the petitioners was regularised. Instead, they were removed from their services.
Justice Shahid Bahar of AJ&K High Court heard the petition and ordered the suspension of relieving orders and directed USC to restrain from removing any of its daily wage employees.
Declaring the employees’ removal orders null and void, the court ruled that “as per the stance of the petitioners, the said orders are liable to set-at-naught.”
“As in the connected writ petition titted “Mohammad Irshad & others Vs. Utility Stores Corporation & others” the relieving orders have already been suspended by this Court through an order dated 25.02.2025, therefore, the supra orders dated 15.02.2025 and 20.02.2025 are hereby suspended and status quo order is issued to the extent of rest of the employees who are yet to be removed from their services,” the court ruling stated.
The court further maintained that the case will come up for further proceedings on April 14, 2025.
