Whistle-blower: Governor restrained from inquiry against PU teacher

She had filed a petition seeking the vice chancellor’s suspension.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Friday restrained the Punjab governor from conducting an inquiry against lecturer Khujista Rehan on the complaint of Punjab University Vice Chancellor Mujahid Kamran whom Rehan accused of sexual harassment.

Justice Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan issued the order on a miscellaneous application moved by the lecturer into the main petition.

The petitioner also moved another application for Kamran’s suspension as vice chancellor.

The counsel said that Kamran had previously suspended Professor Iftikhar Baloch when he was accused of sexual harassment.

The court said the matter would be decided on December 3 after arguments in the main case.

The LHC had previously suspended a notice issued by the Punjab ombudsperson to Kamran, seeking his appearance in connection with a complaint filed by Rehan, under the Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (Amendment 2013).

Justice Khan also issued notices to the respondents for December 3.

Kamran’s counsel said that Provincial Ombudsperson Meera Phailbus had not followed proper procedure. Copies of the notice, purportedly issued to him, had also been sent to the chief minister’s secretary and other authorities. The petitioner said he had not been served the notice in person and had found out about the proceedings through the media.

Rehan had also filed a petition seeking an inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment against the vice chancellor, after restraining him from work.

The court had issued notices to the PU VC, ombudsperson and others. Rehan said she had asked the ombudsperson to take action against Kamran.

The petitioner said the Punjab ombudsperson had disposed of the complaint on technical grounds without touching on the merits of the case. She alleged that the government had influenced the ombudsperson.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2013.