Plagiarism: Court restores two varsity teachers

SC holds that university had not adopted legal course against them and that is why they were being restored.

LAHORE: A three-member bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday restored two assistant professors (APs) of the Centre for High Energy Physics, University of the Punjab, whom the university had removed from services for plagiarism.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry,Justice Jawad S Khwaja and Justice Khalilur Rahman Ramday, held that the assistant professors were removed by the Punjab governor, the chancellor of the university, who they said was not a competent authority for the purpose.

The court held that the university had not adopted the legal course against them and that is why they were being restored.

However, the bench also held that the university authorities were at liberty to hold departmental proceedings against them.

Appellants, Maqsood Ahmed and Alam Saeed, had submitted that the university authorities did not adopt legal course in removing them.

Their counsel submitted that the vice chancellor had sought assistance from a syndicate committee, which recommended seizure of two increments each.

They further said that the syndicate did not find them involved in plagiarism.

The appellants said that the chancellor had gone beyond the limits of his authority and that instead of seizing their increments, as recommended by the syndicate, removed them from service.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2010.