Irregularities alleged: LHC stays PU senate meeting

Court orders VC to hold elections for PU senate within a week.


Our Correspondent March 31, 2015
PHOTO: EXPRESS

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday stayed a meeting of the Punjab University’s senate set for April 1 (today). The court also directed the vice chancellor to start the process for holding the elections for the senate within a week.

The court also sought a written reply from PU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran over the appointment of his wife, Prof Shazia Qureshi, as principal of the PU Law College.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah was hearing a petition filed by two PU faculty members, Prof Javed Sami and Assistant Prof Shazia Gul.

The petitioners’ counsel stated that the VC had not ordered fresh elections of the senate since 2007. “He (the VC) wants to maintain his monopoly. The annual budget of the university has not been approved by the senate so far,” he said.

Additional Registrar Kamran Abid, present in the court, admitted that the senate had been dysfunctional for eight years.

However, he said, the budget had been approved after constituting a quorum of the senate.

Justice Shah expressed serious displeasure over the state of the university’s affairs and remarked that if the institute was supposed to be run by a quorum the law should be amended. “It appears the law is being mocked in the Punjab University,” the judge said.

The petitioners’ counsel pointed out that the vice chancellor was exploiting the authority. He pointed out that Dr Kamran had promoted his wife Shazia Qureshi and appointed her as principal of the law college without the approval of the syndicate. He requested the court to set aside the appointment.

The judge sought a reply on April 9.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2015.

 

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