KARACHI, Jan 9: The Sindh Service Tribunal set aside promotion of an official of the defunct Sindh Agriculture Supplies Organization (SASO) made in March 2003.

The promotion order was challenged by Ahmed Sufyan Khan, SASO’s district supply officer, who said he was senior to the promoted official, assistant director Rafique Ahmed. The appellant alleged and the provincial agricultural department agreed that the official was promoted following acceptance of his departmental appeal against another undue promotion.

Advocate Mohammad Nawaz Shaikh argued that any promotion ordered otherwise than on the recommendation of the departmental promotion committee was invalid. He sought an order for the applicant’s promotion instead.

An SST bench, comprising its chairman, Justice Abdul Ghani Shaikh (retired), and members Mohammad Ayub Shaikh and Mohammad Mohsin Qureshi, held that the impugned promotion was in derogation of rules. As for the appellant’s own promotion, it said the SASO had already been wound up and no direction in this respect of significance. However, the organization’s caretaker authorities may consider his case if he was found eligible under the law.