SHC orders immediate reopening of Karachi's Aisha Bawany College

A civil judge had sealed the college over a building ownership issue

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) suspended on Saturday a civil judge’s order to seal the premises of Aisha Bawany College till September 23.

Justice Fahim Ahmed Siddiqui also issued notices to the trustees of the college and others to submit their replies by the next date of the hearing. He passed a restraining order on a rent application filed by the Sindh government, challenging the subordinate court’s order.

A day earlier, the civil judge had ordered the sealing of the college’s premises during hearing of case regarding ownership of the building. Complying with the court’s directives, the area police had sealed the college.

The provincial law officers, Ziauddin Junejo and Ale Maqbool Rizvi, informed the court SHC bench that the government had filed an application with the Supreme Court in Islamabad against the order passed by the civil court concerned in the rent matter.

Therefore, the court was pleaded to stay execution proceedings before the civil court, which is the executing court, till the decision on the government’s plea in the apex court.

 



After hearing initial arguments from the law officers, Justice Siddiqui issued notices to the trustees of Aisha Bawany College and other respondents for September 23. “Meanwhile, the executing court is directed not to proceed with Execution No 04/2010 till the next date of hearing,” the court further ordered.

Earlier in the morning, teachers and students of the college had protested against sealing of the educational institution’s building by the police in compliance with the order passed by the subordinate court.

In protest, the teachers had conducted classes on the street outside the college’s building and number of the students attended the same.

On Friday, District South's Civil Judge-X had directed the SHO of the Saddar police station to seal the college's premises as the as the provincial education department and local government department had failed to pay Rs50,000 per month as rent, as ordered on May 19, 2011.

The matter follows that the dispute between the Aisha Bawany Trust and education department over arose over non-payment of the rent amount, which had allegedly accumulated to Rs8,400,000.