LHC directed PPSC to accomodate under 35.

[Kamran]

Exams for civil judges: PPSC directed to accommodate under-35 candidates

Staff Report

LAHORE: Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed of the Lahore High Court has directed the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) to allow all candidates less than 35 years of age to appear in the examinations for civil judges-cum-judicial magistrates.

Earlier, the commission had allowed only the district attorneys and other lawyers attached with government departments having age of 35 years to appear in the examinations, while the age limit for lawyers having only private practice was 32 years. The examinations are scheduled for March 27.

The judge refused many candidates’ request to postpone the exams because many of them had not been issued roll-number slips to date. The judge directed the commission to ensure participation of all candidates in the exams whether roll-number slips were provided to them or not.

Slips: The judge issued the directions while admitting for regular hearing different petitions by more than 50 candidates. A group of candidates wanted relaxation in age limit, others wanted more than three chances for exams, and a third group wanted to postponed the exams as they could not get roll-number slips.

Mushtaq Ahmad Mohal, counsel of petitioners Muhammad Aslam and others, submitted that the commission had fixed the upper age limit of 35 years for the practicing lawyers, while it had been curtailed to 33 in case of government employees.

He said it was a discriminatory rule and should be declared as null and void. He prayed to relax the age limit to put all candidates at par.

Arguing on the other petitions, he said under the judicial officers service rules, there was no restriction for the number of chances any candidate could avail. He said the commission at its own had restrained the candidates to availing only three chances of the exams.

He said the restriction was unwarranted by the law as any candidate, until the age of 35 years, could avail any number of chances.

The judge admitted the petitions for regular hearing with an interim relief to the petitioners to appear in upcoming exams.


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