Accepting the plea of a large number of aggrieved employees of the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) in Muzaffarabad Region, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir High Court has sought a comprehensive response from people at the helm of affairs, who have been blamed for removal of petitioner from service and shutting down store operations in the region.
Advocate High Court Syed Abdul Basit Gillani filed the petition, making the USC Chairman Board of Directors and others as respondents saying the USC decision to merge stores and closure of operation will curtail fundamental rights of aggrieved employees.
Advocate Gillani apprised the court that the USC failed to issue service regularization formal orders petitioner. He also informed the court that respondents were delaying regularization without any justification and ultimately relieved the petitioner from the service on the garb of rightsizing.
Syed Abdul Basit Gillani requested the court to issue stay order to the extend to adopt any policy of closure or merger of stores in Muzaffarabad region which may deprive the petitioners from their accrued rights and benefits of service including pension, gratuity and other pension benefits as admissible for regular employees of the USC.
After a brief hearing of the matter, the court issued stay order against impugned notices of the USC issued in April 8, 2025. The court directed respondents of the matter to submit response in the matter for further proceedings on May 6,2025.
