On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled that eligible government officials may be granted promotions even after retirement. The decision was issued by a three-judge panel led by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, with Justices Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi and Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi also on the bench.
The ruling came during the hearing of a case involving former Additional Inspector General (AIG) Sindh, Ghulam Qadir Thebo, who had been denied promotion to Grade 22. The court reviewed the matter on June 4 at its Karachi Branch Registry.
Thebo had filed an appeal challenging the January 27, 2022, decision of the Sindh High Court, which had dismissed his plea for promotion. The apex court accepted his appeal, annulled the High Court’s verdict, and referred the matter back to the High Powered Selection Board (HPSB) for fresh evaluation.
The Supreme Court directed the board to reassess the case by Fundamental Rule 17, ensuring a fair, unbiased, and thorough consideration of all of Thebo’s Performance Evaluation Reports (PERs). The court instructed that a detailed and well-reasoned decision be issued within two months of receiving the court’s order.
Authoring the five-page judgment, Justice Mazhar noted that Thebo, despite being a senior police official with consistently strong performance records from 2013 to 2018, was passed over for promotion on three separate occasions. The court also clarified that the absence of a performance report for 2019 was due to Thebo not being assigned a field post during that period.
The bench criticized the HPSB for including unsubstantiated negative remarks in its proceedings and emphasized that no evidence had been presented to question Thebo’s integrity.
The judgment reaffirmed that pro forma promotion is a legitimate right of government employees and that those meeting the required criteria are entitled to consideration, even if they have already retired.