LARKANA: The Larkana circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the vice chancellor and the registrar of the Shaheed Mohtrma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) and principals of the Chandka Medical College Larkana, the Ghulam Muhammed Mahar Medical College Sukkur and the Bibi Assefa Dental College Larkana to file comments on Feb 24 regarding doctors regularisation issue.

The notices were issued by the bench, comprising Justices Niamatullah Phulpoto and Tariq Shahnawaz, seized with a petition of 30 doctors of the SMBBMU.

Advocate Shahmsuddin Abbasi pleading the case of 30 doctors, currently serving in different colleges affiliated with the SMBBMU, in a constitutional petition said the petitioners, since their appointment on contract in year 2012-13, had been working in different medical colleges.

The syndicate concerned had not only approved the appointments, but also from time to time, the university management had extended their contractual period.

Recently, the advocate said, the contract extension committee in its meeting on Oct 25, 2014, extended six months in the contract period of the petitioners through an order issued on Nov 24, 2014.

They said the SMBBMU registrar had regularised 33 doctors (lecturers and demonstrators), who had completed their 18 months of job, in the light of the 17th and 18th meetings of the syndicate held on May 2 and Oct 9, 2013, and notification was issued on Oct 20, 2013.

The petitioners said the registrar and the members of the syndicate after appointment of their favourites had got passed a resolution in the 19th syndicate meeting held on Oct 29 which decided that in future, the employees who had even completed 18 months of their contract would not be regularised and a notification to that effect was issued on Nov 5, 2013, by the registrar of the university.

The petitioners pointed towards regularisation of the son of the then Registrar Dr Ammanullah Jokhio in previous notifications issued on May 21, 2013, and Sept 20, 2013, along with others’ sons, daughters and sisters who were part and parcel of the university and its syndicate.

They said some blue-eyed officials working as lecturers and demonstrators were paid Rs40,000 salary while the others were drawing Rs25,000 salary.

The petitioners said the act of the respondents to make and break rules at their will was illegal, wilful, discriminatory, without any justification and against the principles of natural justice.

They prayed to the court to direct the vice chancellor and the registrar to regularise their services since the date of completion of their 18 months services and restrain them (VC and registrar) from terminating their services, as they were under the threat of termination of their services.

Also they prayed to the court, through their counsel, to match their salaries with those regularised after 18 months.

The division bench after hearing the arguments issued the notices.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play