PESHAWAR, June 24: A woman lawyer has challenged in the Peshawar High Court the recent appointments of 28 civil judges-cum-judicial magistrates by the high court.

A writ petition was filed by Advocate Farhana Marwat, stating that the appointments were illegal and violative to a judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The petitioner stated that the posts were not advertised by the respondents and instead candidates who were on a waiting list of a previous examination were appointed. The petitioner claimed that fresh posts could not be filled through the waiting list of previous posts.

The petitioner stated that she had passed the examination of Public Service Commission for the post of a civil judge in 1999, but she could not be appointed due to zonal quotas. She added that she was eagerly waiting for examination for the 28 new posts, but for her utter disappointment she came to know that instead of holding any test or examination the high court had filled the vacant posts through the waiting list.

The petitioner referred to a 1997 judgment of the Supreme Court, in which the court had clearly pronounced that posts could not be filled through waiting lists and without advertisements.

She prayed to the court to declare the appointments of the said 28 civil judges as illegal and against the law.