Officials’ fears allayed

Published November 8, 2001

ISLAMABAD, Nov 7: The president on Wednesday introduced amendments to Civil Servants Ordinance, indemnifying the bureaucrats from any prosecution and legal proceeding for doing anything in their official capacity in good faith.

The amendments have been made to the Civil Servants Ordinance after reports that bureaucrats were showing reluctance in taking decision, after witnessing that some of their colleagues were being prosecuted for their decisions.

The ordinance called Civil Servants (Amendment) Ordinance 2001, provides that new section will be inserted. The new section reads as: “No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against a civil servant for anything done in his official capacity which is done in good faith or intended to be done under this Act, or the rules instructions or directions made or issued thereunder.”

Another section 23 B provides that “No order made or proceeding taken under this act, or the rules made thereunder by the president or any officer authorized by him shall be called in question in any court and injunction shall be granted by any court in respect of any decision made or proceeding taken in pursuance of any power conferred by or under this Act, or the rules made thereunder.”

Identical amendments have also been introduced to Removal from Services (Special Powers) Ordinance 2001.