Pakistan, Oct. 1 -- The Supreme Court has set aside the dismissal and subsequent compulsory retirement of two Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) employees, ruling that departmental proceedings were vitiated by denial of a fair and meaningful opportunity of defence.

A bench comprising Justice Rozi Khan Barrech and other judge(s) observed that the allegations relied upon against the employees were materially different from those contained in the original charge-sheets, while they were also not provided an opportunity to cross-examine witnesses during the inquiry.

The case related to an alleged fraudulent transfer of a two-kanal plot in Hayatabad, Peshawar. The employees were initially dismissed from service, but the Peshawar High Court ...