KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has issued notices to the chief secretary and others on a petition impugning the appointment of Muntazir Mehdi as the acting prosecutor general (PG).

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Faisal Kamal Alam also put the advocate general on notice and directed the respondents to file comments by March 27.

Citing the chief secretary, law secretary and Mr Mehdi as respondents, petitioner Khadim Hussain, through his counsel Nehal Khan Leghari, asked the bench to set aside the impugned appointment.

He submitted that Mr Mehdi was appointed as the acting prosecutor general on Feb 3 after then prosecutor general Dr Faiz Shah was elevated as an additional judge of the SHC.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that under the Sindh Criminal Prosecution Services Act 2009, the government must appoint a prosecutor general and a decision to this effect must be taken by the provincial cabinet.

He contended that Mr Mehdi was at Serial No 17 in the seniority list and with his appointment other officers had been bypassed.

When the bench asked the lawyer that the post in question was held on an acting charge basis in which service or seniority was not counted, he replied that the discretion should be exercised fairly, which was not done in the present case.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2025