KARACHI, June 28: The Federal Service Tribunal admitted to regular hearing on Saturday appeals moved by 39 clerks against the Income-Tax Department’s refusal to promote them.

The upper division clerks (UDCs) claimed in their separate appeals filed through Advocate Mohammad Nawaz Shaikh that they had put in about 15 years of satisfactory service and were eligible for promotion to the next (inspector’s) grade.

Fifty per cent of the vacancies of inspectors were to be filled by direct recruitment and the remaining half by promotion from among the serving employees.

A departmental examination was held in August 1999 for promotion. About 600 employees took the examination and 124 passed it.

The names of the successful candidates were notified. However, only 40 out of the 124 successful candidates were promoted on October 11, 1999.

A change of government took place the next day and the matter remained in abeyance till March 2000 when the aggrieved candidates were told that a decision would be taken after the “rightsizing” exercise undertaken by the new government.

No post in the inspector’s grade was abolished as a result of “rightsizing” and the central board of revenue asked the regional income tax authorities to fill in the vacancies. The authorities ignored the board’s advice.

The candidates’ representations too failed to elicit a positive response.

Admitting the appeals, FST Chairman Justice Amanullah Abbasi (retired) and member Nazar Mohammad Shaikh asked the department to submit its comments by Sept 30 and fixed July 3 for hearing of the appellants’ applications for interim relief.