SUKKUR, April 8 The Sukkur circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday barred provincial education department from making any appointment to 28 posts of school teachers in Khairpur district by granting status quo on a petition filed by candidates who had passed tests for the posts.

Razia Sultana, Benazir Dasti, Atia Shar and others stated in their petition through advocate Shabbir Shar that they had taken the written test and interview for the post of high schoolteacher and primary schoolteacher in 2005 and passed.

They said that they received offer orders in 2007 but then the government refused to issue them appointment orders.

The court had in this connection issued notices to secretary of education and Khairpur`s EDO of education but the secretary did not appear in court, they said.

The court then issued non-bailable warrants for the officer and fixed April 8 for hearing, they said. On Wednesday, additional secretary of education appeared before the division bench comprising Justice Yasmeen Abbasi and Justice Mohammad Ismail Bhutto and stated that the chief minister had stopped them from issuing appointment orders.

According to the petitioners` lawyer, the court expressed displeasure over the official`s statement and granted status quo, ordering the education department not to appoint any teacher to the posts till next date of hearing on May 5, 2009.