Overview
- The Supreme Court, which issued its judgment on July 10–11, set aside the Punjab Service Tribunal’s order and restored a departmental forfeiture of five years’ past service for a Faisalabad principal found negligent in handling harassment complaints.
- The court directed the federal and provincial education ministries to circulate the statutory Code of Conduct, display it in English and vernacular languages, and instruct all public and private schools to form in‑house inquiry committees.
- Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Musarrat Hilali held that heads of institutions are legally bound to provide a harassment‑free workplace and may face administrative accountability if they ignore complaints.
- The judgment told departments not to wait for Federal or Provincial Ombudsperson decisions before taking independent disciplinary action, and it criticised the Punjab Service Tribunal for 'gratuitous leniency' in reducing punishments without properly vetting inquiry records.
- The decision clarifies what counts as unlawful harassment—from unwanted remarks and sexual jokes to demands for favors and unwanted physical contact—and signals that faster local complaint routes and visible codes could restore victims’ confidence and prompt more departmental enforcement.