The government of Punjab has enacted a decisive policy change that sends ripples through the provincial bureaucracy: the Punjab Regularization of Service Repeal Ordinance 2025.1 This crucial legal instrument is designed to repeal the existing Punjab Regularization of Service Act, 2018, which had been the primary legal pathway for converting the service of government contract employees to a regular, permanent status.
The promulgation of this Repeal Ordinance, dated October 31, 2025, marks the conclusion of the previous legal regime that aimed to provide job security to thousands of long-serving ad-hoc and contract staff.2 This development is not merely an administrative adjustment but a significant policy pivot that demands immediate attention from all stakeholders, particularly the large number of employees whose fates hung in the balance of the 2018 Act.
To grasp the true impact of the 2025 Ordinance, one must first appreciate the role of the repealed Punjab Regularization of Service Act, 2018 (and its subsequent amendments in 2019, 2021, and 2022).
The 2018 Act was hailed as a relief measure, granting government employees who had completed a certain period of continuous contract service (typically three to four years) the right to be considered for permanent regularization.3 Key provisions included:
Eligibility Criteria: Mandating regularization for those with continuous service and satisfactory performance, provided a regular vacancy was available.
Waiver of Rules: Allowing the government, often through the Chief Minister, to relax certain recruitment rules to facilitate the regularization process.
Future Benefits: Upon regularization, employees would transition to being governed by the Punjab Civil Servants Act, 1974, securing benefits like pension, increments, and enhanced job security (though service period for pension often started afresh).4
By repealing the 2018 Act, the government is essentially dismantling this established, special legal route for contract staff to attain permanent civil servant status.
The most significant consequence of the Punjab Regularization of Service Repeal Ordinance 2025 is the immediate removal of the statutory right to regularization.
Employees whose regularization cases were either pending, under scrutiny, or planned under the framework of the 2018 Act face a critical legal uncertainty. The Repeal Ordinance likely includes a ‘Saving Clause,’ which determines the fate of cases already processed or finalized. However, for those awaiting consideration, the process based on the 2018 Act is now obsolete. Employees who were already regularized before the Ordinance came into effect are generally protected.
The repeal signals a return to stricter adherence to the standard government recruitment procedures, primarily through the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC). It suggests a policy shift away from politically motivated or discretionary regularization drives towards merit-based, open competition for permanent posts, reinforcing the principles of the Civil Servants Act, 1974.
While the specific Act for mass regularization is gone, it is important to note that government service remains governed by the Punjab Civil Servants Act, 1974 and associated rules.
Contract employees and their legal counsel will need to meticulously examine the full text of the Repeal Ordinance, particularly its Savings Clause (if any), to determine:
Which appointments or pending processes are protected.
The criteria for any new, regular appointments going forward.
Whether new legislation will be introduced to address the contractual workforce in the future.
The Punjab government’s move through the Punjab Regularization of Service Repeal Ordinance 2025 is a clear indication of its intent to overhaul the employment structure and potentially reduce the financial and administrative burden associated with large-scale regularization. It closes one chapter on a contentious issue and opens another on the future of government employment in the province.
