PESHAWAR: University of Peshawar registrar Dr Syed Fazl-i- Hadi on Monday filed a contempt of court petition with the Peshawar High Court against the university’s acting vice-chancellor for allegedly not complying with an earlier order of the court against his transfer.

On May 23, the court had suspended the Feb 23 notification issued by acting VC and pro-VC Dr Mohammad Abid for the registrar’s transfer to the Office of Research Innovation and Commercialisation.

The petition is filed through senior lawyer Mian Muhibullah Kakakhel.

The petitioner claimed that he had submitted the court’s order to the acting VC on May 24, who blatantly refused to accept the same.

He said he was accompanied by the UoP director (administration), too.

The petitioner said on May 25, the private secretary of the VC received the order of the high court but he had orders from the VC to lock his (registrar’s) office to stop him from working outside the office.

He added that he had begun working from outside his office on May 26 but the VC sent him on three-day forced leave in utter violation of the court’s order and without having any legal authority.

The petitioner added that the same day, an illegal charge sheet was also issued against to him in retaliation to the court’s order.

Insists Dr Abid refused to follow PHC order against his transfer

He claimed that the acting VC also formed an ‘illegal’ committee to hold an inquiry against him, while director (planning and development) Dr Zahid Gul was given the additional charge of his office.

The petitioner said under Section 11(2) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act, 2012, the VC didn’t have any administrative control on the university’s officers, including registrar.

He said under Section 23 of the KP Universities Act, only the syndicate was empowered to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the university’s employees working in BPS-17 and above.

The petitioner said under the relevant laws, the acting VC could neither send the registrar on leave nor issue charge sheet against him being a BPS-20 officer.

He requested the court to initiate the contempt of court proceedings against the acting VC and hand down severe punishment to him in accordance with the law.

In a petition pending with the court against his removal as registrar, Dr Hadi had stated that he was transferred by the acting vice-chancellor and pro-VC, Dr Mohammad Abid, only five days after the latter assumed his charge.

He had added that a university committee appointed him as the permanent registrar on Oct 20, 2010, and that his job was confirmed by the syndicate on Oct 20, 2011.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2017