The Supreme Court has ruled that employees of the Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) do not fall within the definition of civil servants.
In a written judgement authored by Justice Ayesha Malik, the apex court set aside the order of the Punjab Service Tribunal and accepted the appeals filed by the provincial government.
According to the ruling, employees of Punjab Emergency Service hold the status of public servants; however, their service-related matters do not come under the jurisdiction of the tribunal.
The court observed that merely declaring an institution a government department does not automatically render its employees civil servants.
It further noted that the service structure of Rescue 1122 employees is governed by a separate legal framework, particularly the Rescue 1122 Rules 2007.
The judgement added that even after amendments introduced in 2021, the Punjab Emergency Service continues to function as an independent statutory department.
The case arose after a Rescue 1122 driver, Muhammad Khalil, challenged a departmental disciplinary action against him before the Punjab Service Tribunal. The tribunal had ordered a fresh inquiry into the matter.
However, the Punjab government argued that Rescue 1122 employees are public servants working under a specific legal framework, and therefore their service disputes cannot be adjudicated by the tribunal.
