IHC rejects petition to halt upcoming CSS exam
Pakistan
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani reserved the verdict after hearing the arguments
ISLAMABAD (APP) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday rejected a petition seeking to restrain the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) from conducting the fresh examination before releasing the CSS 2024 results.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani announced the reserved verdict after hearing the arguments on a petition filed by several candidates of CSS exams.
FPSC Chairman, retired Lt Gen Akhtar Nawaz, and Additional Attorney General Munawar Dogal appeared before the court.
At the outset of hearing, the court told the FPSC chairman that the matter was sent to you so that you could look at it from your angle. "There are 3,761 candidates who participated in the 2024 exams and are now set to appear in the 2025 exams."
The FPSC chairman said: "We rejected the petitioners’ application because they will not run out of chances even after the 2025 exams. One petitioner has already availed all chances and is not affected."
Justice Kayani asked whether the commission had ever announced any result after the next CSS exam.
The FPSC chairman replied in negative. "The 3,761 candidates waiting for the results of the 2024 exams and are going to take the current exams are mostly repeaters," he said.
He said 88 halls had been booked across the country and all the relevant papers had also been sent.
Additional Attorney General Munawar Iqbal Dogal said if these exams are postponed, it will also create problems for the secrecy, adding that the law gives the commission the authority to do this.
Justice Kayani remarked that in this way, you would not issue results in 2025 or 2026. The AAG said it's not like that. The court remarked that if you had announced the results even a week ago, these petitioners would not be before us today.
Justice Kayani asked what is the cost of a CSS exam?
The FPSC chairman replied, "I do not have any specific figures."
Additional Attorney General Dogal said the exams would begin on Feb 15 and "the law allows the FPSC to conduct the next exam if the previous result is not released."
Justice Kayani remarked that if the results had been announced 15 days ago, these students would not have been standing here. The students should have also seen in which subjects they were weak and take decisions accordingly.
The court said the students were also deprived of the right to choose the subject.
