' IRSHAD HASAN KHAN, J.---This petition for leave to appeal is directed against the judgment dated 1-10-1997 passed by the Federal Service Tribunal, Lahore (hereinafter referred to as the Tribunal), in Appeal No,327-L of 1997.
2. The dispute herein relates to expunction of adverse remarks recorded in the Annual Confidential Report of respondent Muhammad Saeed Zafar, for the period from 1-1-1995 to 9-9-1995. It is an admitted fact that the countersigning officer recorded his remarks on 3-10-1996 and the same were communicated to the respondent on 16-2-1997 i.e, after a lapse of about 4-1/2 months. The representation filed by the respondent was not disposed of by the SGA&I Department.
Consequently, the respondent approached the Tribunal at the expiry of the stipulated period of 90 days.
3. It is well-settled that adverse remarks should be communicated within reasonable period. Here there was unreasonable delay in communicating the adverse remarks to the respondent. The departmental authorities failed to explain each day's delay before the Tribunal. There being no reasonable explanation for not communicating the adverse remarks within the prescribed period, the Tribunal was right in not upholding such remarks and expunged the same. The same view was taken by this Court in the case of Ch. Saeed Ahmed v. Federation of Pakistan and others (1996 SCM R 256). In any event, the dispute herein relates to an individual grievance and no question of law of public importance is involved warranting interference under Article 212(3) of the Constitution.
4. Resultantly, the petition fails and is hereby dismissed. Leave is refused.