SHC upholds restriction on students’ expulsion

Rejects MNAs' request to hear plea for provision of funds on priority basis

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court upheld on Wednesday the restriction on schools from expelling students unable to pay tuition fees, as it heard a plea challenging the 20 per cent reduction in school fees ordered by the Sindh government.

"School administrations and parents should consult and resolve the matter [of reduction in school fees]," the court further directed.

However, the counsel for the schools contended that if the government sought a reduction in school fees, it needed to provide them subsidies accordingly.

At this, the court remarked that schools needed to abide by laws pertaining to the matter.

The counsel representing the parents, on the other hand, maintained that most parents were unable to pay school fees due to the lockdown.

The Sindh advocate-general also sought clarity over whether a new ordinance with clauses pertaining to school tuition fees, had been suspended.

'Discrimination in funds'

At another hearing, a two-member bench, comprising Justice Omar Sial and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi, rejected the request to hold on priority basis the hearing of a plea challenging the 'discriminatory' provision of development funds to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Muttahida Qaumi Movement MNAs.

The plea, filed by three Pakistan Peoples Party MNAs, stated while that 18 of the 21 MNAs elected from Karachi had been provided development funds for their constituencies, they had not been provided these. The petitioners termed their exclusion "discriminatory," and moved the court to order the federal government to issue the funds to them immediately.

At the hearing, Justice Sial remarked that the citizens of Karachi were not bothered by who had been provided the funds, adding that if the funds were issued, the MNAs were likely to spend the money on themselves. "We know how much the MNAs care about development and citizens.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2020.