ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: The Supreme Court on Monday, after a day-long hearing into the appeals and counter-appeals filed by over 300 initial grade employees of the National Bank of Pakistan, reserved its judgment.

The NBP was ordered by the Federal Service Tribunal to regularize the services of over 300 employees, mostly ware-house keepers and daily wage earners.

The SC bench consisting of Chief Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmed, Justice Qazi Muhammad Farooq and Justice Abdul Dogar reserved its judgment after hearing Advocate Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gilani, Ihsanul Haq Chaudhary, Hafiz Nasim, Muhammad Akram Sheikh, and Chaudhary Ghulam Qadir for the petitioners.

Khawaj Muhammad Farooq and Rai Nawaz Kharal appeared for the National Bank of Pakistan.

The daily wage earners challenged the conditions attached to their regularization by the Federal Service Tribunal, requiring a continuous service of three years.

They contended that the condition was not made mandatory in a previous case of similar nature and thus was breach of Supreme Courts order given by five judges earlier in the year.

The bank was seeking the reversal of the whole judgment on separate grounds — that the warehouse keepers were hired on behalf of the borrowers that it was clearly mentioned in their appointment letters.

The bank also denied that it had record of service of such employees.