LAHORE, March 3: The Punjab additional IG’s office has reportedly lost its authority to hear appeals against the decisions of one-step lower posts of DIGs in the field and allied wings which have been up-graded for officers of equal rank (AIGs)

The senior most officer after the IGP (the additional IG) has been performing the duty (of hearing appeals) on behalf of the provincial police chief as his staff officer.

Official sources said on Saturday that with the development the fate of appeals pending decisions in the office of the present additional IG, Dr Azhar Hasan Nadeem, hanged in balance because of `loss of his authority’ to decide them.

According to the Removal From Service Ordinance 2002, which is now applicable for disciplinary action against government officials, one could file only one appeal against the decisions of the competent authority.

Prior to the development, the appeals against decisions of SPs, having authority over constables, head constables, ASIs and SIs, could be filed before the DIGs concerned. Similarly, appeals against decisions of DIGs, having authority over inspectors, could be filed before the IGP. But actually the appeals for the IGP have been dealt with by the additional IG, the officials said.

But, they claimed, the Punjab additional IG or the IGP had lost the authority to hear appeals against decisions of the DIGs, whose post had now been upgraded to the rank of additional IGs.

Under the law, additional IGPs had powers of the IGP or his deputy in the province. And appeals against their decisions could not be heard by another officer of the same rank, they claimed.

The officials said the additional IG now could not hear appeals against the decisions of the Lahore capital city police officer, Multan and Faisalabad city police officers and chiefs of the highway patrolling police, Punjab constabulary and Punjab elite force because of all of them were of additional IG’s rank.

The additional IG had also lost the authority to hear appeals against decisions of the offices of establishment, telecommunication and transport, research and development and finance and welfare because their chiefs now were also of additional IG rank.

The officials said heads of the establishment and finance wings of the IGs office were among the members of the additional IGs committee, which used to deal with matters of promotion and disciplinary action against subordinate staff.

But, the additional IG had lost these members too because now these posts had been upgraded.

Being junior to the additional IG, head of the establishment department (a DIG) used to play an important role in the committee meetings.

‘But, now his post too had been upgraded after the present incumbent’s promotion to BS-21 (additional IG), and we wonder as to how he would perform his previous subordinate duty,” the officials remarked.

They said thousands of appeals were pending decision in the office of the additional IG, and the police department must have to decide their future in view of the situation developing after the posting of a number of additional IGs.

“If this is not done, decisions of the Punjab additional IG will most probably be challenged in the courts on the ground of his lost authority,” they remarked.

They said the development would be good for the police department as the workload on the Punjab additional IG could be divided among the officers of the similar rank, helping quick decisions on the appeals which were at present pending since the past many years in majority instances.