Supreme Court Rejects Sindh Government Pleas on Deceased Employees’ Quota

Islamabad: The Supreme Court has rejected the Sindh government’s petitions challenging appointments made under the quota for heirs of deceased government employees, observing that cases already decided cannot be reopened.

A three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Salahuddin Panhwar heard the case. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar authored the detailed judgment of the bench.

The apex court upheld the Sindh High Court’s verdicts regarding employment granted under the deceased employees’ quota. The court remarked that there was no legal flaw in the Sindh High Court’s orders and that decisions related to the deceased quota had attained finality.

The Supreme Court further observed that the annulment of laws related to the deceased quota would not apply retrospectively. It clarified that judicial decisions are generally applicable prospectively unless their application to past cases is explicitly stated.

The court also ruled that the judgment in the General Post Office (GPO) case would not apply to cases that had already been decided. It emphasized that settled matters cannot be reopened under the guise of subsequent legal developments.

The Sindh High Court had earlier issued directives for providing employment to the legal heirs of deceased government employees under the quota between 2019 and 2023. The Sindh government had challenged these orders before the Supreme Court, which has now dismissed the petitions.