HC reinstates Punjab Civil Service (Judicial) officers

Chandigarh May 27 (UNI) In a major decision, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered the reinstatement of the Punjab Civil Service (Judicial) officers belonging to batches of 1998, 1999 and 2000 who had summarily been sacked amid allegations of tainted selections.

All these officers were selected during the tenure of former Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) chairman Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu.

The court has also ordered to issue appointment letters to eight officers of 2001 batch of PCS (judicial) which were selected but appointments had been withheld due to controversy pertaining to previous selections.

The verdict which was handed down by a full bench of the chief justice Vijender Jain, Justice H S Bhall and justice Rajesh Bindal, however, made it clear that the petitioners would be entitled to service benefits like the increment and pension etc. but would not be given any salary from the date of their dismissal to the date of reinstatement.

The petitioners had moved the High Court against the dismissal orders issued by the Punjab government, but the court then upheld the state government action.

Subsequently, they appealed to the Supreme Court which remanded back the case to the High Court with the directions to constitute separate committees of judges for PCS (executive) and PCS (judicial) petitioners for going into the cases afresh.

UNI XC JN BP1943