KARACHI, July 26: The Sindh Services Tribunal reinstated on Saturday nine schoolteachers sacked in May 2001 and remanded their cases to the education authorities for fresh processing under the civil servants efficiency and discipline rules.

The teachers were appointed by the Khairpur district education officer in October 1992. They were performing their duties in different schools when in May 2001 their services were terminated by the director of secondary school education, Sukkur region, as their appointment orders were found bogus following an inquiry held by the authorities.

The teachers made representations to the provincial education department, and approached the service tribunal when the department made no response.

Appearing for the appellants, Advocate Mohammad Nawaz Shaikh submitted that the aggrieved teachers were never associated with the alleged inquiry and were not issued show cause notices or heard before being condemned. They were not even supplied copies of the inquiry report. They had nine years of unblemished service to their credit and no complaint under EDR was pending against them.

Allowing the appeals, the tribunal, which consisted of former Justice Abdul Ghani Shaikh as its chairman and Yousuf Ali Mirza and Nur Ahmad Shah as its members, declared the dismissals as violative not only of the provisions of EDR but also of the norms of natural justice.

Setting aside the dismissal orders and reinstating the appellants in service, the tribunal remanded the teachers’ cases to the Khairpur executive district officer of education for fresh proceedings.

The new inquiry, it directed, should be held within three months and strictly in accordance with the provisions of EDR.