KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has issued warrants for the arrest of the chairman, secretary and controller of examination of the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) after they defied the court’s earlier orders to consider a candidate for the post of deputy district attorney on quota for differently-abled persons.

A two-judge constitutional bench of the SHC headed by Justice Muhammad Saleem Jessar also issued show-cause notices to the three senior SPSC officials, asking them to explain their position as to why contempt proceedings were not initiated against them.

Advocate Mushraf had approached the SHC in April and submitted that he is a differently-abled person and has qualified in the written test of the SPSC for the post of the deputy district attorney (BPS-18) in the law, criminal prosecution & parliamentary affairs department.

He sought directives for the SPSC to allow him to appear in the interview for the subject post against the quota reserved for differently-abled persons in conformity of the provisions of the Sindh Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Act 2018.

Bench orders DIG-Hyderabad to ensure his appearance in court on 15th

The petitioner also asked the SHC to restrain the respondents from taking any coercive action against him on account of the present petition filed against them.

The bench in its order noted that on April 28, the SHC had directed the SPSC to conduct the interview of the petitioner, but its directive was not complied with.

It said on May 15, the SPSC authorities were again directed to interview the petitioner under the differently-abled persons’ quota. An additional director (legal) for SPSC was present in court and he sought time for compliance.

However, when the matter was taken up for hearing on June 11, the commission filed a reply through its deputy director (litigation) and stated that the SPSC had announced 17 positions for deputy district attorney and no seat was reserved for the differently-abled persons, the bench stated in its order.

It said that the SPSC submitted that for reserving a seat under differently-abled persons quota there should have been at least 20 positions and contrary to that, only 17 positions were announced.

“Under the Sindh Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Act 2018, 5% quota have been reserved for the Differently Abled Persons and if this quota is calculated on the basis of 17 seat, it becomes 0.85 which is a ratio above then 0.5 meaning thereby that at least one seat should have been reserved for differently-abled persons,” the order said.

The judges observed: “We are not convinced with the reply filed by the commission and the reply itself reflects that the persons at the helm of affairs has deliberately violated the orders passed on different dates. Even undertaking furnished by the deputy director on the last date has not been complied with and the final result has been announced.”

Under the given circumstances, the bench said that it was issuing a show-cause notice to the chairman, secretary and controller of examination of the SPSC as to why the contempt proceedings under Article 204 of the Constitution may not be initiated against them for wilful and deliberate defiance of the court’s orders.

“Let bailable warrants in the sum of Rs50,000 (Rupees Fifty Thousand) each be issued against all of them to be executed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Hyderabad. He shall ensure the attendance of all the abovementioned contemnors before this Court on 15.06.2026 at 12:00 noon,” the order concluded.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2026