LAHORE, July 31: The Lahore High Court on Friday issued stay against the Punjab government’s decision to terminate more than 400 prosecutors.

The court also sent the case to Chief Justice Sayed Zahid Hussain for constitution of a larger bench to bring the matter to its logical end.

The government had sacked three additional prosecutors-general, 18 deputy prosecutors-general, 83 deputy district prosecutors and 383 assistant and public prosecutors on July 25. At a press conference the same day, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah had alleged that the rulers were giving lucrative salaries to these officials to protect their interests.

He said the prosecutor-general was getting a Rs200,000 salary a month, additional prosecutor-general (Rs150,000), deputy prosecutor (Rs75,000) and public prosecutor (Rs65,000).

Challenging the decision, the applicants said they were appointed deputy prosecutors-general on different dates – between June 2006 and September 2007.

A petitioner, Saleem Azad, said his tenure started “with effect from the date he assumed the charge of the post till recruitment under Contract Appointment Policy of 2004”.

“The tenure may be revoked if he is found guilty of misconduct etc., after due process,” he added.

The petitioners said the government had terminated their services “upon their failure to qualify in interviews conducted by the Selection Committee”. They said their order of termination had been illegal because the executive authority of the province had to be exercised in the name of the governor, which had not been done in this case.

The applicants said they were removed on the plea of failing to get through the interviews despite the fact that they were brought into service after they passed their interviews. “It is a settled practice and principle of law that interviews are conducted before appointment”.

The interviews after appointments were conducted as a formality towards regularisation of service, but instead they were removed illegally.

Abduction: The Lahore High Court in suo motu proceedings on Thursday directed the Mozang police to lodge an FIR in a case of alleged abduction and torture of two sons of a lawyer.

Justice Muhammad Najumuz Zaman directed the SHO to lodge the FIR according to victims’ statements and submit a report before court within 15 days.

LHC Chief Justice Sayed Zahid Hussain had sent the case to Justice Zaman after taking a suo moto notice of the matter after going through a report about the kidnapping and torture of two lawyer’s sons.

Justice Zaman observed that sub-inspector Abrar Shah, alleged to have kidnapped and torture the lawyer’s sons, did not seem to be involved in the matter.

On Wednesday, the judge recorded statements of Muhammad Usman and Muhammad Hasnain Umar -- sons of advocate Nazeer Ahmed -- and exempted SI Abrar Shah from appearance before court.

On the court orders, a reporter, who had filed the story about the incident, also appeared before court and informed the judge about the authenticity of the report.

According to the news item, two dozen policemen lifted Hasnain and Usman on Thursday from outside the LHC gate when they were on their way home. After keeping them for two hours in illegal detention and subjecting them to physical torture, the police released them with threats to stop their father from pursuing a case, the story said.