Students receive admit cards on Sindh High Court’s intervention

Parents had reached the court after students did not receive admit cards and missed their first exam

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday ordered the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) to issue admit cards to the students of Ghousia Public School.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Agha Faisal, was hearing the plea filed on behalf of more than 30 students. The plaintiff Javeria's lawyer maintained that more than 30 students weren't issued admit cards for matric examinations which commenced on Monday. Despite clearing all dues, the school administration failed to deliver the cards and the students could not take the first examination held on April 1, said the petitioner.

On being summoned by court, the lawyer representing the matric board appeared and informed that the examination forms of Ghousia Public School students weren't submitted. The education secretary had assured cooperation with students, said the lawyer, adding that if the forms were submitted, the admit cards would be issued right away.

The court, after listening to arguments from both sides, directed that admit cards be issued to all students. The Matric board lawyer informed the court that they had received the information that the school administration submitted the students' forms today (Monday), and the admit cards have been sent to the school the same day, from where the students could collect them and appear in examinations.

Emergency exits in buses

The SHC issued notice on Monday to the Sindh government over a plea pertaining to the absence of emergency exits in buses. A two-member bench, comprising Justice Agha Faisal and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, was hearing the petition in which the petitioner's counsel maintained that a bus had met an accident in 2015 on Super Highway link road resulting in the deaths of 40 people due to the absence of an emergency exit. One of the passengers also failed to jump outside after breaking the window glass due to the grill.

The petitioner appealed that orders be issued to the Sindh government to ensure safety measures in buses. The court directed the transport department to present a report on April 17 and issued notices to Sindh government to submit replies.

Sentence reduced

The SHC reduced on Monday the sentence awarded to a convict in a police encounter, robbery and illegal weapons case by a trial court. A two-member bench, comprising Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto and Justice KK Agha, announcing the decision lessened the sentence of accused Zaheer from 22 years to five years. A special anti-terrorism court had awarded 22 years of imprisonment to Zaheer on being found guilty. According to police, Zaheer had snatched a mobile phone from a citizen named Hassan Jameel in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in 2016. When police reached the scene, the accused had also opened fire at them.

The counsel for the accused argued in the petition that the punishment for robbery could be three years but the anti-terrorism court had awarded 10 years.



Pre-budget session

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker and leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi approached the SHC on Monday and filed a petition calling for a pre-budget session in the Assembly to discuss the upcoming budget.

Naqvi, in his petition, contended that under the Sindh Assembly's rules of procedure 2013, a session of the provincial assembly is necessary to be held between the months of January and March to seek suggestions from the provincial lawmakers for the next budget each year.

The Opposition leader complained that no session has been summoned until now to discuss the budget 2019-20. He said the session is meant to give members an opportunity to put ahead their proposals for the upcoming budget. He said that according to the rules, a discussion is to be held on budget proposals for next five days in the pre-budget session.

Naqvi requested the court to direct the government to call a session of the Assembly for this purpose.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2019.