LAHORE: On January 9, the Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Services and General Administration gave its nod to the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) Amendment Bill 2025.
The objective of the amendment is to put an end to the legal loopholes that allowed the retired government officials to escape accountability after the expiry of a certain period.
The prevailing PEEDA Act 2006 mandated that the disciplinary actions against the retired officers shall automatically cease in case the authorities did not complete them within two years of the retirement.
This often led to cases being closed due to delays. The amendment passed alters the law’s Section 21. It does away with he two-year expiry of inquiries against retired officials being automatic.
New rules inform that there shall be no more end-of-time limits for the disciplinary proceedings. The competence authority may prolong an inquiry for a stipulated time.
Nevertheless, the officials are required to present a written justification for every extension. The legislators pointed out that the modifications have been made to confront the past court decisions, which dismissed the case solely on the ground that the two-year limit had expired. The amendment promises accountability despite the inquiry process delays.
The Punjab government employees supported the reform, saying that it would enable the government to harass the officials who committed misconduct even after their retirement. They justified that the public servants should be accountable at all times for their actions during the period of their service.
The PEEDA Amendment Bill 2025 (Bill No. 139 of 2025) was presented in the Punjab Assembly on December 30, 2025, during the 37th session. The bill will be put up for voting in the full Punjab Assembly following the committee’s approval. In case the bill is passed, it will then be sent to the Punjab Governor for his consent. Once notified in the Punjab Gazette, the law will be effective immediately.
