Law: Punjab Regularization of Service Act, 2018

Section: 2(c)

Law: Constitution of Pakistan, 1973

Section: 199

Law: Law Reforms ACT, 1977

Section: 3

Punjab Regularization of Service Act, 2018 (XV of 2018)-- ----S. 2(c)--Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, Art. 199--Law Reforms Ordinance, 1972 (XII of 1972), S. 3--Appointed on contract--Regularization of employees--Conversion of development project into non-development project--Claim of regularization by project employees--Writ petition--Dismissed--No vested right qua regularization of services could be claimed but an employee could claim a right to be considered for regularization, subject to law or policy--We did not scribe to argument that status of project employee would ipso facto change, simplicitor, upon conversion of Project from development to non-development category, which conversion in this case was otherwise effected after promulgation of Act, 2018, which enactment specifically excluded project employees from its ambit--Regularization unconditionally, but directed government to consider claimants on merits, which includes consideration of law or policy applicable--Appellants could claim benefit of Policy of 2022 but claim under Act, 2018 was not entertainable--Regularization could not be claimed as a right but a privilege extended and subjected to certain conditionalities--Appeal dismissed.                      [Pp. 998, 1001 & 1002] A, B, C & D Hafiz Tariq Nasim, Advocate for Appellant in this and connected appeal; ICA No. 38861/2024. Mian Muhammad Saeed, Advocate for Appellants (in I.C.A. No. 38860/2024). Mr. Osman Khan, A.A.G for Respondent. Mr. Tariq Ismail, Litigation Officer. Mr. Muhammad Suleman Akash, Law Officer on behalf of Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Mall Department. Date of hearing: 23.7.2025. Judgment Asim Hafeez, J.--Consolidated judgment of 20.05.2024 (in short ‘impugned decision’), handed down by learned Single Judge in Chambers, while deciding constitutional petition bearing W.P No. 41334/2023, along connected petitions, is subject of challenge through collectively heard Intra-Court Appeals – numbered as ICA No. 38859/2024, ICA No. 38860/2024 and ICA No. 38861/2024. Essential facts are that appellants,…