ISLAMABAD: The federal government has filed an intra court appeal (ICA) against the Islamabad High Court`s (IHC) decision to set aside promotions of over 300 civil servants.

lHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on July 27 set aside the promotions, and directed the government to revise its promotion criteria and reconsider promotions of those officers whose names had been overlooked in the Central Selection Board (CSB) meeting.

The court declared that, `The entire process carried out by the CSB on the basis of their formula is illegal.

Additional Attorney General Afnan Karim Kundi filed an ICA against the order of the IHC`s single member bench.

The promotions were recommended by the CSB in May. However, 64 bureaucrats filed petitions with the IHC, stating that they were denied promotions despite their eligibility based on a controversial formula introduced by the federal government in 2012.

The recently introduced formula enables the CSB to assign 15 per cent marks and set 85 per cent marks for the overall performance of any officer. In its appeal, the federal government states that, `For selection posts, comparatively more meritorious officers are selected and appointed based on the collective wisdom of the CSB and the fact that a senior officer is not promoted having been found not fit for promotion due to lesser comparative merit does not attach any stigma.

It goes on to state that, `This also applies to an officer not promoted due to negative general reputation or perception about him or his integrity which simply results in leaving him out of competition of promotion.` The government requested the court to set aside the order. A two-member division bench will take up the appeal next week.