SHC restrains ACE from action against three education officials

Court bars coercive measures in Mirpurkhas results manipulation case

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday restrained the Anti-Corruption Establishment from taking "coercive" action against three Sindh Education Department officials in a case pertaining to alleged manipulation of examination results and corruption in Mirpurkhas.

The bench issued the restraining order while hearing a petition filed by the officials, wherein their counsel, Saulat Rizvi Advocate, contended that his clients were being targeted for exposing corruption.

He argued that the three officers had merely pointed out alleged irregularities by the controller of examinations at Mirpurkhas Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Anwar Ali Rajput, who was reportedly involved in altering students' examination results.

The counsel submitted that the officials had written twice to the member of the Inspection Team to bring the matter to notice. However, he said, the ACE authorities initially blocked any inquiry into those complaints and later initiated proceedings against the very officials who had raised the issue.

The petitioners include Deputy Secretary Farhan Akhtar, Deputy Secretary Ali Gul Jalbani and Education Officer Zubair Katbar.