ISLAMABAD: The minor penalty of “withholding of increment for two years without cumulative effect, imposed upon Shams-uz-Zaman, Deputy Chemical Examiner (BS-18), has been changed into ‘censure’.
As per details, the disciplinary proceedings were initiated against Shams-uz-Zaman under the Government Servants (Efficiency & Discipline) Rules, 1973 on account of acts of omission and commission, constituting “inefficiency”, “misconduct” and “corruption”, committed by the accused officer while being posted as Assistant Chemical Examiner (BS-17) in Customs Laboratory, Custom House Karachi.
Muhammad Irfan Wahid, a Pakistan Customs Service officer of BS-19, Additional Collector, MCC Appraisement (West) Karachi, was appointed as inquiry officer. After having examined the inquiry report, reply to the show-cause notice, case record and verbal submissions of the accused officer, the authorized officer/Member (Admn) found the accused officer guilty of “inefficiency” and imposed a minor penalty of “withholding of increment for two years falling on December, 2016 & 2017 without cumulative effect” upon Shams-uz-Zaman under Rule 4(1)(a)(ii) of the Government Servants (E&D) Rules, 1973.
The accused officer filed an appeal against the order of authorized officer/Member (Admn) before the Appellant Authority i.e. Secretary, Revenue Division/Chairman FBR under Rule 3 of the Civil Servants (Appeal) Rules, 1977.
The appellate authority/secretary, Revenue Division/FBR chairman after having gone through the relevant record, the written defence and verbal submissions of the accused officer during personal hearing, tended to agree that the Customs Laboratory, Karachi lacks advanced testing facility/equipment for spectroscopic method through which generic names of chemicals can be identified which in turns help classifying chemicals.
The appellate authority modified the above said minor penalty under Rule 4(1)(a)(i) of the Government Servants (E&D) Rules, 1973 read with Rule 6(1)(c) of the Civil Servants (Appeal) Rules, 1977.
