PRESIDENT, ZARAI TARAQIATI BANK LIMITED, HEAD OFFICE, ISLAMABAD vs KISHWAR KHAN Ss

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PRESIDENT, ZARAI TARAQIATI BANK LIMITED, HEAD OFFICE, ISLAMABAD VS KISHWAR KHAN Ss. 42 & 54---Civil Procedure Code (V of 1908), O.VII, Rr. 10 & 11---Employees in a master-servant relationship---Civil suit filed by such employees against the employer---Competency---Employees of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) were penalized for violating Standing Instructions of State Bank of Pakistan---Employees filed their appeals against the penalty but they were not decided on the ground that meeting of Board of Directors could not be convened to consider the appeals---Meanwhile employees filed a suit for declaration and injunction against the penalty imposed by ZTBL---Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) filed two miscellaneous applications under Order VII, Rule 10, C.P.C. and under Order VII, Rule 11, C.P.C. for dismissal of the suit on the basis that the Civil Court had no jurisdiction to entertain the suit as employees were governed under the rule of master and servant---Said applications were dismissed upto the High Court---Held, that ZTBL failed to point out any specific regulation which impliedly or expressly barred the jurisdiction of civil Court---Nothing had been placed on record to show whether the penalty was imposed after issuing any show cause notice and holding any regular inquiry against the employees to establish their guilt---Being in a relationship of master and servant the only course left for the employees was to file a suit for redress of their grievances---Employees had not approached the civil Court for any declaratory decree against the termination or dismissal of service or damages but were only seeking declaratory decree and injunctive relief against the imposition of penalty and its recovery from them---Issue of imposition of penalty whether rightly imposed or wrongly, or whether it was imposed after providing any opportunity of hearing to the private respondents/employees or not, or whether any regular inquiry was conducted or not to fix the responsibility, required full-fledged trial and evidence---Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited and the other defendants in the suit had already filed their written statements and obviously after providing fair opportunity of adducing evidence and hearing, the Trial Court would decide the suit on its own merits---On one hand ZTBL filed an application under Order VII, Rule 10, C.P.C. for return of plaint which means that the proceedings were attacked on the grounds that the Court had no jurisdiction to entertain the suit but on the other hand, another application under Order VII, Rule 11, C.P.C. was moved for the rejection of the plaint---No justification was placed before the court of moving two applications simultaneously having different rudiments in C.P.C. but the grounds in both applications were absolutely alike---Civil petition for leave to appeal was dismissed and leave was refused.

PRESIDENT, ZARAI TARAQIATI BANK LIMITED, HEAD OFFICE, ISLAMABAD vs KISHWAR KHAN Ss — 2022 PLC(CS) 1341 SUPREME-COURT

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