{
  "schema_version": "qanun-law-text/1",
  "id": "punjab-code-2cc1488cd28f615c",
  "title": "PUNJAB REGULARIZATION OF SERVICE ACT 2018",
  "source_collection": "Punjab",
  "content_kind": "stored_law_text",
  "content_extent": null,
  "source_url": "https://punjabcode.punjab.gov.pk/en/show_article/XWVRYlFvAjU-",
  "version": null,
  "source_snapshot": "2026-08-06T16:59:59Z",
  "legal_status": "not independently verified",
  "text_quality": "Complete stored UTF-8 TXT file recovered byte-for-byte from owned Drive. Source transcription retained verbatim; legal completeness, OCR accuracy and current consolidation unverified.",
  "text_sha256": "9d38a2429073c74c16f3677b51d95dbeea935b6fa86e566b8b287932c88db786",
  "source_sha256": "9d38a2429073c74c16f3677b51d95dbeea935b6fa86e566b8b287932c88db786",
  "text_version_id": "law:punjab-code-2cc1488cd28f615c:sha256:9d38a2429073c74c16f3677b51d95dbeea935b6fa86e566b8b287932c88db786",
  "quality_flags": [],
  "encoding": "UTF-8",
  "text": "THE PUNJAB REGULARIZATION OF SERVICE ACT 2018  \r\n(XV of 2018) \r\nCONTENTS \r\n1. Short title, extent, application and commencement \r\n2. Definition \r\n3. Regularization, etc \r\n4. Procedure for regularization \r\n5. Scrutiny Committees \r\n6. Appointments \r\n7. Termination of contract  \r\n8. Determination of seniority \r\n9. Pay fixation \r\n10. Option for regularization  \r\n11. Legal framework \r\n12. Appeal or review \r\n13. Rules \r\n14. Removal of difficulties \r\n15. Saving \r\n \r\n \r\nTEXT \r\n1\r\nTHE PUNJAB REGULARIZATION OF SERVICE ACT 2018 \r\n(XV of 2018) \r\n[30th April, 2018] \r\nAn \r\nAct \r\nto provide for appointment on regular basis. \r\nIt is necessary in public interest to provide for the appointment on regular \r\nbasis of certain employees presently serving o n contract; and, for matters connected \r\ntherewith.  \r\nBe it enacted by Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as follows:  \r\n1. Short title, extent, application and commencement .– (1) This Act may be \r\ncited as the Punjab Regularization of Service Act 2018. \r\n (2) It extends to whole of Province of the Punjab. \r\n2\r\n[(3) It shall apply to all the persons employed on contract in a \r\ndepartment, who have completed three years continuous service before \r\nor after the commencement of the Act.] \r\n(4) It shall come into force at once. \r\n2. Definition.– In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires– \r\n(a) “Act” means the Punjab Regularization of Service Act 2018.  \r\n(b) “Commission” means Punjab Public Service Commission. \r\n(c) “contract employee” means an eligible person appointed on contrac t in \r\na department immediately before the commencement of the Act but \r\ndoes not include a person appointed  to a post in a project, \r\nprogramme, project management unit, project management office, time \r\nbound (one-time) development activity or as work-charged employee or \r\nan employee on daily wages; \r\n(d) “department” means the department as defined in the Punjab \r\nGovernment Rules of Business 2011 and includes an attached \r\ndepartment or a special institution; \r\n(e) “Government” means Government of the Punjab; \r\n(f) “regularization” means the appointment of an eligible contract \r\nemployee on regular basis, with immediate effect, in accordance with \r\nthe Act; and \r\n                                                 \r\n1This Act was passed by the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 27 April 2018; assented to by the Governor of the Punjab on \r\n30 April 2018; and, was published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated: 30 April 2018, pp. 7585-7587. \r\n2Substituted by the Punjab Regularization of Service (Amendment) Act 2019 (XXIII of 2019), published in the Punjab Gazette \r\n(Extraordinary), dated: 13 December 2019, pp. 2537-2538, s.2 \r\n(g) “special pay package” means a special pay package, otherwise than \r\nthe basic pay scales and includes Management Position Scales. \r\n3. Regularization, etc .– (1) Notwithstanding the mode or manner of \r\nappointment, or any deficiency or defect in the procedure or anything contained in \r\nthe Punjab Civil Servants Act 1974 (VIII of 1974), the rules framed thereunder or any \r\nrecruitment policies, any person appointed on contract, immediately before the \r\ncommencement of the Act, shall be deemed to have been validly appointed and \r\nsuch appointment shall not be called in question. \r\nExplanation.– The expression ‘appointed’ includes the e xtension, from time to time, \r\nof the term of the contract. \r\n3\r\n[(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Act, the contract employees \r\nwho have continuously been serving as such for a period not less than three years \r\nshall be eligible to be considered for appointment on regular basis if: \r\n(a) a regular vacancy allocated for initial recruitment is available for \r\nregularization; \r\n(b) he is qualified for the post; \r\n(c) he has not been appointed on a special pay package; \r\n(d) his performance during the period of contract has remaine d \r\nsatisfactory; and \r\n(e) he does not opt to continue as contract employee.] \r\n4. Procedure for regularization .– (1) The case of a contract employee \r\nappointed on the recommendations of the Commission shall be submitted to the \r\nappointing authority for regulariz ation without reference to the Commission or the \r\nScrutiny Committee. \r\n(2) If the post falls within the purview of the Commission but the contract \r\nemployee was appointed otherwise than on the recommendations of the \r\nCommission, the case shall be referred to the Commission for recommendations4[: \r\n Provided that notwithstanding anything contained in this subsection \r\nand subject to section 3 of the Act, the Chief Minister may, in relaxation of the \r\nprovisions of the relevant rules, in the public interest, specify po sts and \r\nregularize the services of the contract employees, without reference the case \r\nto the Commission.] \r\n(3) If the post is outside the purview of the Commission, the case of a \r\ncontract employee shall be placed before the Scrutiny Committee constituted un der \r\nthe Act for recommendations.  \r\n5. Scrutiny Committees .– (1) The appointing authority shall constitute one or \r\nmore Scrutiny Committees for purposes of the Act. \r\n                                                 \r\n3Substituted by the Pu njab Regularization of Service (Amendment) Act 2019 (XXIII of 2019), published in the Punjab Gazette \r\n(Extraordinary), dated: 13 December 2019, pp. 2537-2538, s.3 \r\n4Added by the Punjab Regularization of Service (Amendment) Act 2021 (III of 20 22), published i n the Punjab Gazette \r\n(Extraordinary), dated: 12 January 2022, pp. 3407, s.2.  \r\n(2) A Scrutiny Committee shall scrutinize the academic record and other \r\nrelevant documents of the contract employee and verify that the contract employee \r\nis eligible and qualified for regularization. \r\n(3) The Scrutiny Committee shall forward its recommendations to the \r\nappointing authority. \r\n6. Appointments.– (1) Subject to the Act and the fulfilment of the conditions for \r\nregularization, the appointing authority shall: \r\n(a) in a case covered under subsection (1) of section 4 of the Act \r\nregularize the service of the contract employee with immediate effect; \r\nand \r\n(b) in a case covered under subsection (2) o r subsection (3) of  section 4 \r\nof the Act, regularize the service of the contract employee if so \r\nrecommended by the Commission or, as the case may be, the Scrutiny \r\nCommittee with immediate effect. \r\n (2) The service rendered by a contract employee shall not be counted for \r\npensionary benefits or for any other purpose whatsoever. \r\n7. Termination of contract .– Notwithstanding anything contained in any law or \r\nthe terms and conditions of the contract, the contract of a contract employee, who is \r\nnot recommended for regularization by the Commission or, as the case may be, the \r\nScrutiny Committee, shall be terminated forthwith. \r\n8. Determination of seniority .– (1) A contract employee, who is regularized, \r\nshall be placed at the bottom of the seniority list of the respecti ve cadre and shall \r\nrank junior to the other civil servants. \r\n(2) The inter se seniority of the contract employees, on regularization, shall \r\nbe determined on the basis of their continuous service on contract and if the date of \r\nsuch continuous service of two or more contact employees is the same, the \r\nemployee older in age shall rank senior to the younger. \r\n9. Pay fixation .– A contract employee, on regularization, shall be allowed the \r\ninitial stage of the respective pay scale and the increments earned by him  during the \r\ncontract appointment shall be converted into personal allowance but no other \r\nprivilege allowed to a contract employee shall be admissible. \r\n10. Option for regularization .– A contract employee who does not wish to be \r\nregularized shall furnish his op tion to the appointing authority within sixty days from \r\nthe commencement of the Act; otherwise, he shall be deemed  to have opted for \r\nregularization.  \r\n11. Legal framework .– A contract employee, regularized under the Act, shall \r\ncease to be governed by the C ontract Appointment Policy 2004 and the terms and \r\nconditions of the contract and shall be regulated under the Punjab Civil Servants Act, \r\n1974 and the rules framed thereunder. \r\n12. Appeal or review.– (1) Subject to subsection (2), a contract employee who is \r\naggrieved by the final order of the appointing authority under the Act may, except \r\nwhere the order has been made by the Chief Minister, within thirty days from the \r\ndate of communication of the order, prefer an appeal through the concerned \r\ndepartment to the  Appellate Committee constituted by the Chief Minister by \r\nnotification in the official Gazette. \r\n (2) Where the final order has been passed by the Chief Minister, the \r\naggrieved contract employee may, within the period mentioned in subsection (1), \r\nsubmit a review petition through the concerned department to the Chief Minister. \r\n(3) The decision taken under subsection (1) or, as the case may be , \r\nsubsection (2) shall be final. \r\n13. Rules.– The Government may make rules for carrying out the purposes of the \r\nAct.  \r\n14. Removal of difficulties .– If any difficulty arises in giving effect to any \r\nprovision of the Act, the Chief Minister may, within two years of the commencement \r\nof the Act, make such order not inconsistent with the provisions of the Act, as may \r\nappear to him to be necessary for the purpose of removing such difficulty. \r\n15. Saving.– Notwithstanding anything in the Act, Government of the Punjab, \r\nServices and General Administration Department (Regulations Wing) Notification \r\nNo.DS(O&M)(S&GAD)5-3/2013, dated 1 st March 2013 shall continue to apply to the \r\nemployees mentioned therein.",
  "passage_offset_convention": "zero-based Unicode code points and UTF8 bytes; end exclusive",
  "passages": [
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-2cc1488cd28f615c:sha256:9d38a2429073c74c16f3677b51d95dbeea935b6fa86e566b8b287932c88db786:chars-0-1749:90d2c5400065d25aa41cdd2ae823f91ee889afd70360a9ad7ab90d91b473ce54",
      "character_start": 0,
      "character_end": 1749,
      "utf8_byte_start": 0,
      "utf8_byte_end": 1767,
      "passage_sha256": "90d2c5400065d25aa41cdd2ae823f91ee889afd70360a9ad7ab90d91b473ce54",
      "reader_fragment": "p-0-1749-90d2c5400065d25a"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-2cc1488cd28f615c:sha256:9d38a2429073c74c16f3677b51d95dbeea935b6fa86e566b8b287932c88db786:chars-1749-3487:244faece79aed07f3bf41fe20a53d832fefbfd9e54c97b52fcb2b98490d6b8c0",
      "character_start": 1749,
      "character_end": 3487,
      "utf8_byte_start": 1767,
      "utf8_byte_end": 3529,
      "passage_sha256": "244faece79aed07f3bf41fe20a53d832fefbfd9e54c97b52fcb2b98490d6b8c0",
      "reader_fragment": "p-1749-3487-244faece79aed07f"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-2cc1488cd28f615c:sha256:9d38a2429073c74c16f3677b51d95dbeea935b6fa86e566b8b287932c88db786:chars-3487-5176:8d6a205eeeeed3bdbc53cd0194765c1f7ae7b9551f0af4c322cc8eef447cdbd2",
      "character_start": 3487,
      "character_end": 5176,
      "utf8_byte_start": 3529,
      "utf8_byte_end": 5222,
      "passage_sha256": "8d6a205eeeeed3bdbc53cd0194765c1f7ae7b9551f0af4c322cc8eef447cdbd2",
      "reader_fragment": "p-3487-5176-8d6a205eeeeed3bd"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-2cc1488cd28f615c:sha256:9d38a2429073c74c16f3677b51d95dbeea935b6fa86e566b8b287932c88db786:chars-5176-6895:19a82c50cdcbc3bb68d30af110e22349fdb63ca6ed603e2fc6e023f6f7ada997",
      "character_start": 5176,
      "character_end": 6895,
      "utf8_byte_start": 5222,
      "utf8_byte_end": 6947,
      "passage_sha256": "19a82c50cdcbc3bb68d30af110e22349fdb63ca6ed603e2fc6e023f6f7ada997",
      "reader_fragment": "p-5176-6895-19a82c50cdcbc3bb"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-2cc1488cd28f615c:sha256:9d38a2429073c74c16f3677b51d95dbeea935b6fa86e566b8b287932c88db786:chars-6895-8649:26ffb6b6b31c0147d040e4d2504d887d92ba966b68a60908b09d07db3a32010a",
      "character_start": 6895,
      "character_end": 8649,
      "utf8_byte_start": 6947,
      "utf8_byte_end": 8709,
      "passage_sha256": "26ffb6b6b31c0147d040e4d2504d887d92ba966b68a60908b09d07db3a32010a",
      "reader_fragment": "p-6895-8649-26ffb6b6b31c0147"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-2cc1488cd28f615c:sha256:9d38a2429073c74c16f3677b51d95dbeea935b6fa86e566b8b287932c88db786:chars-8649-9678:8738a9cc750daae8fefaf3e6df39424be27947abaa1aa2e0798e787063c14dca",
      "character_start": 8649,
      "character_end": 9678,
      "utf8_byte_start": 8709,
      "utf8_byte_end": 9744,
      "passage_sha256": "8738a9cc750daae8fefaf3e6df39424be27947abaa1aa2e0798e787063c14dca",
      "reader_fragment": "p-8649-9678-8738a9cc750daae8"
    }
  ]
}