The Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan has revised rules affecting the ability to challenge dismissal and seek reinstatement. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

The changes address situations where a person fails to file a lawsuit in time or new facts emerge after a court decision.

The decision is enshrined in a regulatory resolution No. 88-NP dated June 12, 2026.

It was prompted by citizen appeals who could not protect their rights due to existing procedural norms.

In one case, a law enforcement officer was dismissed following an internal investigation. He filed a lawsuit but was rejected due to missing the filing deadline. Later, a criminal case revealed that the disciplinary violations cited for dismissal were not confirmed. However, the decision could not be reconsidered.

In another case, a female applicant faced contradictory rulings from different courts, but existing norms did not allow reconsideration of one ruling despite new circumstances.

Citizens requested a constitutional review of paragraphs one and two of Part 5 of Article 160 of the Labor Code, and Parts 2 and 3 of Article 455 of the Civil Procedure Code.

The court concluded that such norms limit citizens' right to judicial protection.

"The contested provisions deprive citizens of the opportunity to protect their rights when court decisions that have entered into force are refuted by new legally significant circumstances," the resolution states.

In other words, if facts later emerge that change the court's conclusions, a person should be able to seek a retrial.

The Constitutional Court declared the contested norms unconstitutional and established a temporary procedure pending legislative changes.

Now, for disputes over reinstatement of employees of law enforcement and other state bodies, a one-year statute of limitations applies. This means a dismissed employee can file a lawsuit within one year of dismissal.

Also, revision of court decisions based on new circumstances is allowed only when previously unknown legally significant facts emerge that could affect the case outcome. This enables reconsideration if truly new and important evidence surfaces.

Essentially, the Constitutional Court's decision expands opportunities for those who consider their dismissal unjustified. Former employees now have more time to file a lawsuit and more grounds for case review if new facts capable of changing the court decision appear.

Previously, the time to file a lawsuit could expire within a few months after dismissal depending on the dispute category and application of Labor Code norms; now dismissed employees are given one year.

Earlier, the Constitutional Court banned the dismissal of ordinary employees of national companies for bribery.

Previously, Kursiv reported that Kazakhstani citizens can now dispute salary with employers even after three years.