LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday directed the inspector general of Punjab police to ensure appearance of former and present secretaries of the provincial environment department before it on the next hearing of a contempt of court matter.

Dr Shazia Pervez and others had filed an appeal seeking implementation of last year court order regarding reinstatement and regularisation of their services in the Environment Protection Department.

A division bench headed by Justice Ibadur Rehman Lodhirepeatedly sought appearance of former secretary Iqbal Chohan and the present one, retired Capt Saif Anjum, to explain the non-implementation of the court order.

However, they failed to attend the proceedings and the advocate general of Punjab also remained unable to make them appear before the bench.

As both officers were again absent from the Thursday`s proceedings, the bench ordered the IGP to ensure their attendance on the next hearing to be held on Oct 9.

The petitioners had contended that they were employed by the department on a contract basis for a project initially till June 6, 2013,but the contract was extended up to Dec 12, 2013. They said the project was transferred to non-development side along with 39 employees on Jan 1, 2014.

The petitioners stated the chief minister had also ordered their transfer to non-development side but the department ignored the instruction. They said the department finally terminated their services.

Later, a single bench in April, 2016 reinstated them and directed the department to also regularise their services.

The single bench judge had rejected the department`s view and ruled that Supreme Court clearly laid down a principle that after thetransfer of a project to non-development side, employees who gained experience and were duly qualified had the right to be regularised. However, the petitioners said, the order had not been complied with so f ar.

They said both the former and sitting secretaries nurtured grudge against the petitioners and were not willing to restore them despite the court`s order.

They pleaded that the deliberate dehance ofthe orderby the secretaries amounted to contempt of court.

They asked the court to punish the respondents under the relevant law and get the order implemented.