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HYDERABAD, Oct 20: The Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, on Thursday directed the Sindh additional advocate general to file comments of the additional chief secretary local government and the taluka nazim of the city taluka in response to constitutional petitions filed by employees of the city TMA challenging cancellation of their promotions.
The Sindh AAG sought time from the court to file comments by November 11.
Twelve TMA employees had filed a joint petition through Chaudhry Ashraf advocate and two more identical petitions were filed individually by Khalil Ahmed and Zakariya Rizvi on Thursday.
Khalil Ahmed in his petition, filed through Mehmood Hussain Siddiq, said that he was appointed as a junior clerk in 1971 by defunct Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. He said the union council, he was posted in, was dissolved in 1971 and his services were transferred to the land grant department of the defunct HMC and from there he was transferred to the taxation department.
He said that he was promoted on November 29, 1990, from BPS-5 to BPS-6 and subsequently on dissolution of the HMC and formation of talukas under the Sindh Local Government Ordinance his services were transferred to the Latifabad TMA.
He was given an additional charge of superintendent on November 4, 2003, and then he was promoted to superintendent taxes (regulation) of the Latifabad TMA in BPS-12 on January 29, 2004.
Mr Siddiqi said that the petitioner was discharging his duties satisfactorily when the TMA cancelled his promotion on September 13, 2005, on directions of the local government secretary.
The counsel said that the respondent had no powers to cancel the promotion because he was promoted by the then taluka nazim.
He pointed out that his promotion order was issued on March 2004 and since then it was not challenged by anyone, so the promotion could not be withdrawn now.
He further said that the petitioner will retire on October 3, 2005, and cancelling his promotion would cause him irreparable loss.
BAIL: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, here on Thursday granted bail to Maulana Ali Sher Hyderi, a leader of a banned outfit, in a blasphemy case and violation of 3-Loudspeaker Ordinance.
Maulana was represented by Farmud Ali Babar advocate. The case was lodged against him at the Matli police station.
Mr Babur said that his client was falsely involved in the crime while the FIR against him was lodged after 23-days and there was no justification for such an inordinate delay.
He said that the story narrated in the FIR was absurd and not a single person came forward to lodge an FIR.
He said that the client did not offend the Anti Terrorism Act and said that the audio-cassette of his speech was available to prove his innocence.
The lawyer maintained there was no evidence against him and all witnesses were police personnel.
