MUZAFFARABAD, Dec 29: A single member bench of the AJK High Court on Saturday ordered the reinstatement of nine junior grade employees of the Development Authority Muzaffarabad after declaring their termination order issued in April 2001 without lawful authority.

Justice Muhammad Reaz Akhtar Chaudhry held that neither the scrutiny committee of DAM nor the chief secretary (respondent number 1) had provided any opportunity of hearing to the petitioners before terminating their services.

The petitioners included junior clerk Nazir Ahmed, electrician Arshad, gardener Imtiaz Naqvi, coolies Muhammad Naeem and Mohammad Siddique, guards Farooq Salehria and Kh Ghulam Mohiduddin, naib qasid Muzaffar Hussain and road inspector Moazzam Ali.

Their case was pleaded by People’s Party leader Khwaja Farooq Ahmed, while the respondents were represented by additional advocate general and M Y Mughal advocate.

The judge said it was incumbent upon the committee and the chief secretary to provide an opportunity of hearing to the petitioners.