KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday observed that it appeared that the notification regarding the recent appointment of vice chancellor of Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) was issued in haste as there was already a restraining order in this regard.

The two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui further said that JSMU was bound to process the appointment of VC in the light of provision of JSMU Act, 2013 and any deviation should be subject to the approval of the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council regulations.

“No doubt the University/respondent No.3 deserves a regular/ permanent Vice Chancellor, however, the process, mechanism and the legal proceedings should not be allowed to be flouted and it is prima facie contemptuous on the part of the respondents to have continued the process of finalisation of Vice Chancellor without disposal of relevant applications on which at least an earlier injunctive order was/is operating.”

The division bench set aside the June 24 order of a single-judge bench of the SHC which declined to suspend the June 22 notification which notified Prof Dr Amjad Siraj Memon as VC of JSMU despite an earlier interim restraining order for the search committee and ruled that the impugned notification would remain suspended till hearing of the pending applications in the suit before the single bench.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2021