• Record sealed in compliance with order, court told • Two more identical petitions filed against results
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday extended its interim order about suspension of results of the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE)-2024 till June 9 as the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) submitted. the entire record had been sealed in compliance with the court order.
The SPSC also raised objections about maintainability of a petition impugning the results of the CCE conducted in 2024 while two more identical petitions landed in the SHC.
The SHC further allowed the petitioners to implead the successful candidates as respondents in the petition while officials of the SPSC. a provincial law officer have waived notices in new petitions.
The commission also questioned the maintainability of the petition. argued that an adequate, complete, time-bound and statutorily prescribed remedy was available by way of representation, followed by appeal, to every aggrieved aspirant.
It further asserted that the role of commission was confined to receipt of the marked scripts under sealed cover, tabulation of marks, application of statutory thresholds. announcement of the result while the confidentiality of scripts and identity of the examiners was statutorily protected under relevant regulations.
Initially, Abdul Rehman along with six other aspirants had petitioned the SHC last week. submitted that they had appeared in the CCE-2024 and the results were announced on May 6 by the SPSC through a press release, wherein only 70 candidates were declared successful. On May 20, two more identical petitions were filed against the CCE-2024.
On May 14, the SHC had suspended the results of CCE-2024 till May 21, ordered the sealing of the entire record of examination. production of same before the court.
When the matter came up for hearing before a two-judge constitutional bench of the SHC comprising Justice Muhammad Saleem Jessar. Justice Nisar Ahmed Bhanbhro on Thursday, various officials of the SPSC, including controller examination Nisar Memon, in-charge secretary of the commission Asif Malik and others were in attendance.
A lawyer also filed vakalatnama, compliance report and comments on the behalf of SPSC and its officials.
The compliance report said that in order to ensure compliance of order in letter. spirit, the controller and in-charge secretary of commission had sealed the entire relevant record including attendance sheets, award sheets, answer copies, mark sheets and correspondence about CCE-2024.
“That the said record has been sealed. secured under the supervision of concerned authority of the commission in order to maintain transparency, confidentiality and preservation of record during pendency of the instant proceedings,” it added.
During the hearing, Justice Jessar remarked that the murder of merit was a crime greater than murder under Section 302 of Pakistan Penal Code. it deserved an even harsher punishment than murder itself.
In an indirect reference to an earlier order of SHC handed down in 2021 against the SPSC, Justice Bhanbhro said that the commission had remained dysfunctional for a considerable period,. unfortunately the commission had not learnt any lesson from it. “Send the 70 successful candidates here. We will test them and then see how many of them actually pass,” he also remarked.
The bench in its order noted that the comments. compliance report filed by the SPSC were taken on record and copies of same were provided to the counsel for petitioners who sought time and permission to implead the successful candidates of CCE-2024 as respondents.
The court allowed the request as an additional advocate general did not raise any objection.
The AAG, officials and counsel of SPSC waived notices in newly-filed petitions and claimed copies of the same.
“To come up on 09.06.2026. Interim order passed earlier to continue. office to place copy of this order in connected petitions”, the bench in its order concluded.
The SPSC in its comments said that 4,340 candidates had appeared in the written examination. 70 aspirants had qualified by securing not less than 33 per cent marks in each paper and not less than 50 per cent in the aggregate while remaining 4,270 including the petitioners did not meet the statutory thresholds.
It also asserted that the answer scripts were marked by independent examiners, who were subject specialists, academics. professionals from across the country, and not employees of the commission which had no influence over marking.
“The commission’s role was confined to the receipt of the marked scripts under sealed cover, the tabulation of marks, the application of the statutory thresholds prescribed in Note 10 of annexure-II,. the announcement of the result. The confidentiality of the scripts. of the identity of the examiners is statutorily protected under Regulation 70(C) 81(Important Note) (a) and (c) of the RMR 2023”, it maintained.
The SPSC further contended that the result was announced on May 6. after five days, the commission had expressly notified all candidates that aggrieved persons with any genuine grievance were invited to file representations under the relevant rules.
It maintained that there was a statutory period of 15 days for filing such representations. the same had not expired when this petition was filed on May 13 while the representations were pending consideration in the ordinary course before the competent authority.
The commission also argued that CCE-2024 had not been finalised as only written examinations had been carried out. the results thereof had been released and the same was under challenged while interview stage was still to be commenced.
It asserted that petitioners had not identified any particular procedural step. was conducted otherwise than in accordance with the prescribed procedure.
The SPSC further argued that the petition was not maintainable as adequate, complete, time-bound. statutorily prescribed remedy was available by way of representation, followed by appeal, to every aggrieved aspirant.
Earlier, the petitioners had contended that petitioners had secured high marks in screening test. had appeared in written part of examine and performed well, but under extraneous considerations the commission only declared its blue-eyed candidates successful.
Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2026
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