SHC stays removal of Benazir Bhutto chair's director till July 5

Court pleaded to restrain Karachi University from illegal removal of director

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) restrained on Thursday Karachi University (KU) management from removing the incumbent director of the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto (SMBB) chair till July 5.

A two judge-bench, headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, also issued notices to the varsity's chancellor and vice-chancellor to file their comments by the next date of hearing on allegations regarding alleged illegal removal of Sahar Gul Bhatti from the director's post.

The matter was brought to the court's notice by SMBB chair's director, who took the university's chancellor, vice-chancellor and registrar to the court over her removal in alleged violation of the law. The Pakistan Peoples Party-led provincial government established the SMBB chair at KU in September 2008.



Advocate Masoor Ghani informed the judges that the petitioner was initially appointed as director of the SMBB chair for two years. Later, he said, the varsity's syndicate extended the tenure of the chair's director from two years to four years. Therefore, the petitioner's tenure was due to expire in June, 2019, he said.

However, he alleged that the KU registrar had recently issued a letter regarding Bhatti's removal from the post without completion of her tenure. He argued that such removal is in violation of the decision of the syndicate and other relevant laws.

Advocate Ghani pleaded to the court to declare the removal of the petitioner a violation of the syndicate's decision. He further pleaded to the court to restrain the respondents from such illegal removal.

After hearing initial arguments, the bench restrained the KU management from removing the petitioner from the chair till July 5. In the meantime, it issued notices to the varsity's chancellor and vice-chancellor to file their comments by the next date of the hearing.