Contract appointment of child or wife of a deceased employee is not maintainable: Ombudsman Punjab

Lahore: Ombudsman Punjab, Javed Mahmood has said that contract appointment of child or wife of a deceased employee under Rule 17-A of Punjab Civil Service Rules 1974, was not maintainable under the law and such practice was worst type of maladministration on the part of concerned authorities. “The implied spirit of the Rule 17-A is to provide protection to the family of deceased employee not for a limited period of contract only”, said the Ombudsman Punjab. The Rule 17-A is a statutory provision where no period and duration of employment is prescribed and it would be against the provision of rules as interpreted by the Hon’ble Lahore High Court in its judgment, declared the Ombudsman Punjab in his order.

According to details, Syed Mohsin Muzammil lodged an application to Ombudsman Punjab for direction against appointment orders as Tracer issued by the Chief Engineer Irrigation Lahore Zone under Rule 17-A which was withdrawn next day of issuance despite possessing required qualification for the said post. Earlier he was appointed against the post of Cleaner on contract basis while he applied for the post of junior clerk. The department contented that he was appointed as Cleaner on contract basis so he could not be recruited as Tracer under Rule 17-A.

Ombudsman Punjab directed Advisor Wazir Ahmad Qureshi to probe the issue. Wazir Ahmad Qureshi declared the contract appointment under Rule 17-A against the rules and said that the applicant was entitled for the post of Tracer as per law. Ombudsman Punjab ordered Chief Engineer Irrigation Lahore Zone to restore the appointment orders of Tracer in favour of the applicant and said that contract appointment of family member of deceased government employee under Rule 17-A was not maintainable under the law.