Sub-judice matter: Court tells teachers not to hold any more protests
LHC directs Punjab govt not to take any disciplinary action against college teachers.
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court has directed the Punjab government not to take any disciplinary action against college teachers, who protested in front of the Punjab Assembly on December 9.
Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, on Monday also forbade the teachers from taking to the streets since the matter was in court.
Justice Chaudhry issued the order to the government after the teachers’ counsel informed the court that his clients faced the threat of departmental action from their high-ups.
Justice Chaudhry was holding proceedings on the suo motu notice – the first he took after being sworn in – against protesting teachers and students who were beaten up by the police.
Describing the case as highly important, the chief justice ordered that the case will be fixed before a division bench for hearing on December 20. “Everyone should work for the betterment of the country together,” the chief justice advised the parties.
Earlier, Hanif Khatana, the additional advocate general (AAG), informed the court that Board of Governors (BoGs) had already been formed in 10 colleges of the province, including the Government College University, Lahore; the Queen Mary College, Lahore; the Government College, Chuna Mandi Lahore; Kinnaird College for Women University, Lahore; and the Government Boys College, Faisalabad. “The colleges and universities are running smoothly. After the formation of BoGs, the colleges have improved,” the court was told by the AAG.
Addressing the court, Khatana said that decisions relating to the transfer of teachers were made by the Education department, “even in colleges functioning under the BoGs. The teachers and students were protesting for vested interests.”
The AAG, defending the Punjab government’s decision to make the Bachelors degree a four-year programme said, “The government took this decision to make the standard of the degree better. Bachelors programmes all over the world are four-year programmes, as a result of which Pakistani graduates who complete a two-year programme face many problems.”
During the last hearing Rao Sardar, the DIG (Operations), had submitted his report saying that neither the inspector general of police nor any other high officials had ordered that the protesters be beaten up “despite their breaking the security cordon and forcibly entering assembly premises”.
“However, police officials and security guards, deputed at the assembly, took action against students and teachers in order to ensure security, which was their duty and could not be compromised in any case,” Sardar had told the court. The report had also termed the action taken by officials against the protesters “defensive”, since it was taken when the students breached the cordon.
The AAG had argued that lecturers and professors had misled the students for “vested interests”. He alleged that most of the professors were running private colleges and academies, devoting time from their government jobs. “They fear that a more strict administration ensured by the BoGs will change that,” he had said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2010.
The Lahore High Court has directed the Punjab government not to take any disciplinary action against college teachers, who protested in front of the Punjab Assembly on December 9.
Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, on Monday also forbade the teachers from taking to the streets since the matter was in court.
Justice Chaudhry issued the order to the government after the teachers’ counsel informed the court that his clients faced the threat of departmental action from their high-ups.
Justice Chaudhry was holding proceedings on the suo motu notice – the first he took after being sworn in – against protesting teachers and students who were beaten up by the police.
Describing the case as highly important, the chief justice ordered that the case will be fixed before a division bench for hearing on December 20. “Everyone should work for the betterment of the country together,” the chief justice advised the parties.
Earlier, Hanif Khatana, the additional advocate general (AAG), informed the court that Board of Governors (BoGs) had already been formed in 10 colleges of the province, including the Government College University, Lahore; the Queen Mary College, Lahore; the Government College, Chuna Mandi Lahore; Kinnaird College for Women University, Lahore; and the Government Boys College, Faisalabad. “The colleges and universities are running smoothly. After the formation of BoGs, the colleges have improved,” the court was told by the AAG.
Addressing the court, Khatana said that decisions relating to the transfer of teachers were made by the Education department, “even in colleges functioning under the BoGs. The teachers and students were protesting for vested interests.”
The AAG, defending the Punjab government’s decision to make the Bachelors degree a four-year programme said, “The government took this decision to make the standard of the degree better. Bachelors programmes all over the world are four-year programmes, as a result of which Pakistani graduates who complete a two-year programme face many problems.”
During the last hearing Rao Sardar, the DIG (Operations), had submitted his report saying that neither the inspector general of police nor any other high officials had ordered that the protesters be beaten up “despite their breaking the security cordon and forcibly entering assembly premises”.
“However, police officials and security guards, deputed at the assembly, took action against students and teachers in order to ensure security, which was their duty and could not be compromised in any case,” Sardar had told the court. The report had also termed the action taken by officials against the protesters “defensive”, since it was taken when the students breached the cordon.
The AAG had argued that lecturers and professors had misled the students for “vested interests”. He alleged that most of the professors were running private colleges and academies, devoting time from their government jobs. “They fear that a more strict administration ensured by the BoGs will change that,” he had said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2010.