PESHAWAR, Oct 26: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court on Tuesday disposed of a contempt of court petition filed against a police officer.

The bench, comprising Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Dost Mohammad, disposed of the petition after Additional Advocate-General Pir Liaquat informed the court that the police officer concerned had complied with the court orders.

He also produced a notification whereby eight inspectors were promoted to the rank of deputy superintendent of police (DSP).

About promotion of four other inspectors, he stated that their ACRs were not up to the mark due to which they could not be promoted.

The bench directed the said four inspectors to file fresh writ petitions for challenging that act of respondents.

The court had earlier ordered the provincial police officer to issue a notification for the promotion of the 12 inspectors in accordance with a judgment of the high court given in a writ petition.

The contempt of court petition was filed by Mohammad Ashraf and 11 other inspectors, stating that the PPO had been violating the court order issued on an earlier writ petition filed by them.

The writ petition was filed by 20 acting DSPs who apprehended that vacant posts of DSPs in the department would be filled through fresh appointments. They had stated that under section 165 of the Police Order, 2002, the posts of DSPs could be filled through promotion and not through recruitment.

They claimed that they were the senior-most inspectors and therefore deserved to be promoted.

The provincial government had assured the high court that promotions would be made on merit. In the light of that assurance, the high court had disposed of that petition on Feb 24. A total of eight acting DSPs were promoted whereas remaining 12 were left who filed the contempt of court petition.