IHC moved against FPSC for ‘not filling vacant posts’

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a notice to the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) and sought its reply for not filling the vacant posts and carrying forward the vacancies to the next year which remained unfilled due to decline or rejoining by the repeaters to their newly allocated groups/service.

A petitioner, Abdullah Arshad, has filed a petition No 3237/2023 in the IHC and prayed that the rules do not allow the FPSC to carry forward any vacancy which remain unfilled especially when the sufficient number of duly qualified candidates are available to fill those vacancies.

As per the FPSC record annexed with the petition almost half of the vacant posts remained unfilled or carried forward to the next year. The same cycle has continued over the last few years. The record shows in 2022, a total of 436 vacancies were announced and 230 vacant posts were carried forward to the next year. Similarly, 202 out of 407 vacant posts were carried forward to the next year in 2021. Keeping the trend of carrying forward vacant posts in view, the petitioner has moved the high court to issue appropriate directions on filling the posts in the same year instead of carrying them forward.

According to the petitioner he is at number three of the waiting list of qualified candidates from Punjab and since, there are a sufficient number of vacancies available due to allocation/re-allocation/re-appointment of candidates of the category. Therefore, the petitioner prayed that if the FPSC/ED fails to complete the process of getting refusals from such qualified candidates, who have been allocated, or, will be re-allocated Groups/Services before commencement of CTP, then, the petitioner cannot be held responsible.

As per Rule 19 of the CSS (CE) Rules, 2019, it is mandatory for the FPSC/ED to fill all the vacancies available for the year 2022/23 from amongst all those candidates who have qualified and available under Rule 18 and 20 of the Rules, ibid. In the instant case, the total number of vacancies for the year 2022 is 463 and out of which apart from merit, there are 169 vacancies which the FPSC/ED shall have to fill from the qualified and available candidates from Punjab like petitioner. Under the said Rules, therefore, the FPSC/ED cannot be allowed to carry forward any vacancy especially, when the sufficient number of duly qualified candidates are available to fill those vacancies, prayed the petitioner.

Allowing the candidates from other provinces/categories an additional fourth chance, along with, through an age relaxation to re-appear in a special CSS CE 2023 to fill the carried forward/unfilled vacancies, denying the qualified candidates of Punjab to join an available vacancy of the year 2022-23 is an act of discrimination, delinquency and a denial of fundamental rights of the petitioner along with loss to the national exchequer, the petitioner prayed before the court.

When contacted, Chairman Federal Public Service Commission Fazal Abbas Mekan said he hasn’t received the copy of the petition yet therefore cannot comment on it.