KARACHI: The Sindh High Court directed the provincial government, advisor to the Sindh Chief Minister on Labour and Human Resources, Senator Saeed Ghani and other defendants on Friday to file their comments on a lawsuit questioning the power of the adviser to chair the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI)’s meetings. A single bench comprising Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar was hearing the lawsuit filed by Qazi Abdul Wahab and seven other employees of the SESSI. Senator Saeed Ghani appeared before the court and sought time to respond to the lawsuit. The hearing was put off till November 25. The plaintiffs named the Sindh chief secretary, SESSI’s commissioner, Senator Saeed Ghani, Secretary, Mines Labour and Welfare Organization, Abdul Rahim Soomro, medical superintendent of KVSS Hospital, Dr Nawaz Gahoti and others as defendants. Plaintiffs’ lawyer, Nouman Jamali, contended that the adviser to the CM on Labour and Human Resources was not competent to chair meetings of SESSI in terms of Section 5 of the Sindh Employees Social Security Act-2016. He said that the meeting of the SESSI’s governing body was held on September 23, which was chaired by Saeed Ghani. The meeting rejected the SESSI’s revised budget for the financial year 2015-16 and announced to constitute a committee to examine irrational increase in the budget. The counsel said that the budget of the SESSI depends on the contribution from employers and grants and donations of the governments. The major chunk of the budget is spend for purchase of medicine and other material for its hospitals and the grant of salaries and allowances to the employees. However, he alleged that the revised budget which was prepared by the hospitals’ heads was rejected by the meeting on whims of Senator Saeed Ghani. Jamali said that the adviser, who has been granted portfolio of Labour and Human Resource, was running the SESSI individually in clear violation of provisions of the SESSI Act-2016. Besides, he said that on the adviser’s instruction, Muhammad Khan Abro had been appointed his coordinator, despite the fact that no such post exists in the service regulations of the institution. The plaintiffs pleaded the court to declare that the governing body meeting held on Sept. 23 is unlawful and any decision taken by it is illegal and void. The court was further requested to declare that the PPP senator had no authority to interfere in day to day affairs of the institution including appointments, transfers, postings, dismissals and other matters. The plaintiffs prayed to the court to declare that the adviser to the CM cannot hold the status of the minister in terms of Sections 4 of the SESSI Act 2016.