LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) – The Lahore High Court, while upholding the decision of the Provincial Ombudsperson Punjab in an important case of workplace harassment against women, has declared the dismissal of the director management of a vocational institute from service to be lawful.
Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh, in a 17-page written verdict issued on the petition of Umar Shehzad, observed that women often do not immediately report incidents of harassment due to concerns about honor, family dignity, and social pressure. However, such silence cannot be interpreted as consent, nor can it be used to deprive them of their right to report.
The court clarified that the scope of workplace harassment is not limited to the office premises alone. If an officer uses his position or authority to threaten a woman or coerce her into illicit relations, it also constitutes harassment.
According to the judgment, the complainant female teacher alleged that the petitioner used to look at her with ill intent, sent messages seeking illicit relations, and threatened to terminate her job upon refusal. She further stated that in September 2022, the petitioner came to her house and attempted to sexually assault her.
The petitioner argued that the incident did not occur at the workplace and that the complaint was the result of personal enmity. However, the court held that these allegations fall under the misuse of authority, and questioning the character of the complainant does not justify the petitioner’s conduct.
The court also rejected the objection that the Ombudsperson could not proceed in the presence of criminal proceedings, clarifying that the jurisdiction of the Ombudsperson Punjab relates to disciplinary matters, while criminal cases are a separate process.
The Lahore High Court concluded that there was no legal defect in the decisions of the Ombudsperson Punjab and the Governor, and dismissed the petitioner’s plea for reinstatement to his job.