PESHAWAR – The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday declared illegal the scrapping of a recruitment process for over 400 posts of commercial assistants and line superintendents by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco). The court also challenged Pesco’s decision to re-advertise these positions.
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A bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Mohammad Faheem Wali heard a petition jointly filed by 26 candidates, including Waqarullah Khan, who had been selected in 2022. The court issued a short order and announced that the detailed judgment would be released later.
The petitioners argued that the impugned decision violated their rights, as the previous recruitment process had progressed substantially. They had applied for 272 commercial assistant (BPS-15) and 135 line superintendent (BPS-14) posts, successfully passed the written examinations conducted by the University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, and were included in provisional lists of successful candidates.
Advocate Khaled Rahman appeared for the petitioner and said under a recruitment drive, the respondents had advertised several posts.
He said the recruitment process in all power distribution companies was abruptly frozen, citing financial constraints.https://t.co/xfvukvfrk9
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Advocate Khaled Rahman, representing the petitioners, said that an office memorandum issued on May 28, 2022, by the Ministry of Energy froze recruitment in all power distribution companies citing financial constraints. While the ministry later partially unfroze recruitment for higher posts, the lower cadre posts, including those of the petitioners, were postponed.
He argued that Pesco, instead of resuming the original process, canceled it entirely and initiated a fresh recruitment drive, claiming that this decision lacked legal justification. Rahman maintained that the petitioners had acquired a vested right under the “doctrine of legitimate expectancy” and that canceling the process was an unlawful exercise of power, rendering it void and ultra vires the Constitution.
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The PHC’s ruling is expected to have significant implications for Pesco’s hiring practices and may pave the way for affected candidates to secure their rightful positions in the company.