Medical disability alone cannot justify job termination, rules Sindh High Court
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has observed that mere medical disability for a particular assignment cannot mechanically justify termination from services, as protection of the livelihood and service benefits of a disabled employee formed part of the constitutional guarantees of equality, dignity and non-discrimination. A two-judge constitutional bench of the SHC headed by Justice…
The Sindh High Court has ruled that disability alone cannot be the sole reason for dismissing an employee, emphasizing the importance of protecting an individual's livelihood and service benefits as guaranteed by the constitution. This decision was made in a two-judge constitutional bench headed by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon. The court overturned a previous ruling by the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science, and Technology (Fuuast) regarding the premature retirement of an employee due to visual impairment.
The university had dismissed Ali Abbas, who had worked for Fuuast since 1996, citing his developing visual impairment. However, Abbas continued to perform his duties diligently despite his condition, and he raised concerns about the university's non-payment of salaries. The court directed Fuuast to reinstate Abbas with continuity of service and all benefits, as well as to consider reasonable accommodation or adjustment to a suitable post compatible with his medical condition.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
