A three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Javed Iqbal, on Thursday directed the Punjab government to submit a detailed report on promotions in the Police Department within a week. Aitzaz Ahsan, counsel for the Punjab Police, informed the court that in pursuance of its March 8 orders, all shoulder promotions made in the department had been withdrawn after three days of its orders. He said all promotions made in violation of the settled rules had been abolished, adding that now the promotions were being made on merit and the new promotion list had been made in accordance with the court directions. To a court query, he said the seniority list made in 2008 was bogus.
Justice Iqbal said performance of the Punjab Police should be improved, all objections with regards to the seniority list be removed and a final seniority list be submitted in the court. Akram Sheikh, counsel for police officers deprived of promotions, contended that the court’s orders with regard to promotion were not implemented in letter and spirit. Sheikh said the new promotion list was not made on merit.He said files of 82 officers were sent to the offices concerned for promotions. However, no progress had been made so far. He requested the court to ask the Punjab police inspector general whether he had implemented the court orders in letter and spirit or not. Senior advocate Hamid Khan said shoulder promotion was an injustice, thus no one should object to its withdrawal. He said first the matter of those police officers who deserved promotion should be settled and then the new seniority list should be issued.On the last hearing, the court had directed the Punjab government to withdraw all shoulder promotions in the Police Department and observed that there was no concept of such promotions in law.
