ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench has reinstated Saima Naureen, an instructor at the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta), after declaring her termination from service unlawful.

The ruling, delivered by Justice Jawad Hassan, upheld Ms Naureen’s right to employment and ordered the payment of her pending salaries.

Ms Naureen, who was appointed as an instructor in professional cooking at the Government Vocational Training Institute for Women (GVTI) Kartarpura Rawalpindi in April 2017 had successfully completed her probation period. However, her services were abruptly terminated in June 2018. The court noted that the termination violated procedural requirements under the Tevta Employees Service Regulations 2011 (amended 2015).

The petitioner had challenged her termination in 2018, leading to a suspension of the order on October 1, 2018. Despite this, Tevta did not allow her to resume duties, prompting her to file a contempt petition.

A subsequent order on November 12, 2018, directed Tevta to redress her grievances, pay her salaries and regularise her employment. However, Tevta failed to comply and instead issued another termination order to her in August 2019.

In its ruling, the LHC found Tevta’s actions inconsistent with the court’s previous directives and emphasised that Ms Naureen’s fundamental rights had been violated.

The court observed that her probation period had been completed successfully and that allegations of unsatisfactory performance were unsubstantiated. The judgement also referenced the Supreme Court decision in Dr Asma Noreen Syed’s case (2022) reinforcing that no individual should suffer due to an administrative or judicial error.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2025