MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Friday suspended the AJK High Court’s decision declaring the appointments of doctors made on an ad hoc basis in the Health Department null and void.
A two-member bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Justice Raza Ali Khan and Justice Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry conducted a preliminary hearing on an appeal filed against the High Court’s verdict.
The Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of the High Court’s decision until further hearing.
On July 3, the AJK High Court annulled the appointments of doctors made on an ad hoc basis in the Health Department, declaring them unlawful. Later, the affected parties filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the decision.
A single bench, comprising AJK HC Justice Khalid Rashid Chaudhry, ordered the cancellation of all such appointments and referred the matter to the Accountability Bureau.
According to the detailed judgment, the appointments had been made in violation of the law and merit-based recruitment procedures.
The ruling was issued in the case of the petitioner Dr Usama Zafar and others, in which they had challenged the recruitment process for medical officers and other posts in the health department.
