text: HK civil servants contest ban on China panel . HONG KONG 1996-08-29 Senior Hong Kong civil servants were given the go-ahead on Thursday to challenge a government ban on them standing for the Beijing-backed panel to choose the territory 's first post-handover leader and lawmakers . The Supreme Court ruled that a judicial hearing contesting the ban would be heard on September 11 , three days before the nomination period for the Selection Committee closes . The government maintains the ban , announced earlier this month , is necessary to avoid a possible conflict of interest because civil servants are involved in determining government policy . Civil servants argue the ban stymies their political rights . The 400-strong Selection Committee will select Hong Kong 's future chief executive to replace the British governor and a provisional legislature to take over from the elected chamber which Beijing plans to dissolve . Hong Kong , a British colony for more than 150 years , will be handed back to China at midnight on June 30 next year . China intends to dismantle the territory 's first fully-elected legislature because it opposes Britain 's recent electoral reforms and install an interim appointed chamber , a decision that has generated considerable controversy . The judicial review sought by directorate-grade bureaucrats will apply to only about 1,000 of the approximately 33,000 civil servants affected . Police unions are not contesting the ban , which affects all 27,000 officers , and nor are the very top tier of Hong Kong 's mandarin class , the policy secretaries . More than 16,000 application forms for places on the Selection Committee have been handed out since the nomination period opened . It closes on September 14 .