The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday dismissed a petition from a primary school teacher candidate who held two domiciles, ruling him ineligible for the post under applicable law.
The petitioner had passed the Sindh recruitment test but was denied an appointment letter because he simultaneously held domiciles from both Karachi and Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab.
His counsel argued that the Punjab domicile was later cancelled after the petitioner relocated to Karachi, and that he had faced discriminatory treatment throughout the entire recruitment process.
The prosecution informed the court that the Punjab domicile of the petitioner was cancelled in September 2024, while the recruitment advertisement deadline had expired in April 2021.
Because the cancellation occurred more than three years after the application deadline, the petitioner did not meet the eligibility criteria at the time his application was submitted.
The court noted that under Pakistani law, a citizen may hold only one domicile and one Permanent Residence Certificate, with no legal provision permitting simultaneous multiple domiciles.
Referring to a letter from the Deputy Commissioner of Rahim Yar Khan, the court confirmed that the Punjab domicile of the petitioner remained valid and active at the time of application.
The court found that the petitioner had concealed material facts by failing to disclose his active Punjab domicile when he submitted his application for the teaching position.
The judgment stated that submitting incorrect information constituted sufficient grounds for disqualification, and that the sworn affidavit affirming accuracy had also been proven false.
On these grounds, the Sindh High Court dismissed the petition, upholding the decision to deny the petitioner an appointment letter for the primary school teaching role.
