The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) has set aside the decision of the Punjab Service Tribunal in a case concerning employees of Rescue 1122, declaring that the tribunal has no jurisdiction over their service matters.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the court on Monday issued its detailed written judgement while accepting appeals filed by the Government of Punjab.
The verdict was authored by Justice Ayesha Malik, who ruled that Rescue 1122 employees do not fall within the definition of civil servants.
According to the decision, employees of the Punjab Emergency Service hold the status of public servants rather than civil servants.
The court further ruled that merely becoming part of a government department does not automatically make employees civil servants.
It noted that Rescue 1122 employees are regulated under a separate legal framework and the Punjab Emergency Service Rules 2007.
Even after amendments introduced in 2021, the Punjab Emergency Service continues to function as an independent legal department.
The case arose after Rescue 1122 driver Muhammad Khalil challenged departmental disciplinary proceedings against him before the Punjab Service Tribunal. The tribunal had earlier ordered a fresh inquiry into the matter.
However, the Punjab government argued that Rescue 1122 employees fall under a specific legal structure and that the tribunal does not have the authority to hear their service-related cases.
The Supreme Court accepted the government’s stance, clarifying that the Punjab Service Tribunal has no jurisdiction over the service matters of Rescue 1122 employees.
