ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Supreme Court has ruled that employees of Punjab Emergency Service Rescue 1122 do not fall under the definition of civil servants.
In a written verdict issued by Justice Ayesha Malik, the Supreme Court set aside the order of the Punjab Service Tribunal and accepted the appeals filed by the government.
According to the judgment, employees of the Punjab Emergency Service hold the status of public servants, however their service matters do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Punjab Service Tribunal.
The court observed that merely declaring an institution a government department does not automatically make its employees civil servants.
The Supreme Court further stated that Rescue 1122 employees are regulated under a separate legal framework and the Rescue 1122 Rules 2007.
Even after the amendment made in 2021, the Punjab Emergency Service continues to function as an independent legal department.
It is pertinent to mention that Rescue driver Muhammad Khalil had challenged departmental disciplinary action against him before the Punjab Service Tribunal.
The tribunal had ordered a fresh inquiry into the matter, while the Punjab government maintained that Rescue 1122 employees are public servants working under a specific legal structure.