MULTAN: The Lahore High Court (Multan bench) directed the Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) on Thursday not to promote officials, including university registrar, through the Departmental Promotion Committee.

`Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza stayed the promotions of the officials` concerned, issued notices to the university authorities and directed them to submit their reply, said Advocate Chaudhry Sagheer Ahmed, the counsel for the petitioner.

Syed Fazal Hussain Shah, an admin officer of BZU`s Sahiwal subcampus, had filed a petition against the vice-chancellor and nine other officials of the university stating that respondents had prepared a seniority list to promote assistant registrar/ assistant controller of examinations in BPS-17.

He said that 12 posts were available for promotion and appointment, and according to promotion rules, the 50 per cent quota was reserved for employees through promotion.

He said that different items were prepared and placed in a syndicate meeting and the item No 24 was pre-pared for the promotion of admin officers as assistant registrar/treasurer/controller.

The petitioner said the syndicate in its March 13 meeting had considered different items up to No 20 and other items were leftover due to shortage of time.

He said the item No 20 was related to up-gradation of the registrar post from BPS-19 to BPS-20 and serious observations were raised by members and the house unanimously decided to take a legal opinion in this regard.

He said that on Jan 30 Shafa Aslam had been appointed as assistant controller examinations in BPS-17 in Sahiwal sub-campus on an ad hoc basis for a period of one year or till regular appointment was made which was illegal as advertisement had already been published for the appointment on a regular basis.

The petitioner said it was the responsibility of the university administration to put up remaining items before the syndicate for appropriate decision, but it intentionally deprived the eligible candidates of promotions, including the petitioner.

He said the registrar whose case was not approved by the syndicate managed to get notified the so-calleddepartmental promotion committee (DPC) after five days of the syndicate meeting to get his own promotion by `illegal DPC` `Those who were favorites of the registrar are going to be considered for promotion but the petitioner will be deprived of his legal right,` he said.

He said the selection board was a competent authority to consider promotion or fresh appointment as per provision provided under the statute and the DPC had no such authority.

The petitioner said that a meeting of the illegal DPC was convened which adopted the Punjab Civil Servants Minimum Length of Service for Promotion Rules 2003 despite the fact that it was not the function of any committee.

He requested the court to declare the notification issued on March 26 regarding the DPC and action of respondents by which the DPC had been constituted illegal, void and against the statutes of the university.

He also requested the court to declare the appointment of Shafa Aslam illegal and unwarranted besides issuing direction to respondents to consider the case of the petitioner for promotion in the next selection board.