KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Monday issued warrants for the arrest of acting vice chancellors of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, Larkana, and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary & Animals Sciences, Sakrand, for not handing over the charge to the VCs despite court order.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar also put the SMBBMU acting VC Dr Hakim Ali Abro and his SBBUVAS counterpart Dr Ahmed Sultan on notice for March 16, on the applications seeking contempt proceedings against them.

The bench also summoned the universities & boards secretary with direction to explain his position in the next hearing and also directed the home secretary and provincial police officer to file a report about deputing women police commandos in all hostels of public sector universities as was directed in the last hearing.

On March 8, the bench had allowed SMBBMU vice chancellor Dr Aneela Atta-ur-Rehman and SBBUVAS vice chancellor Dr Farooque Hassan to resume their respective charge and said that the allegations levelled against petitioner VCs were yet to be proved.

SHC had nullified notifications to send VCs on forced leave

Both the VCs had challenged the notifications sending them on forced leave during the inquires initiated against them.

At the outset of the Monday hearing, the lawyers for the petitioners argued that both the acting VCs had failed to comply with the court’s March 8 order by not handing over the charge to the petitioners.

The bench issued bailable warrants of Rs100,000 each against both acting VCs through the SSPs of Shaheed Benazirabad and Larkana and ordered their production in the next hearing. It also warned of appropriate order against the SSPs if they failed to comply with the court order.

The bench directed the focal person of the home secretary and inspector general of the Sindh police to be in attendance with report on the next hearing.

In its earlier order, the bench had also ordered the home secretary and IG to depute women police commandos at all girls’ hostels of public sector universities and colleges to protect their lives and dignity.

The bench had granted two weeks’ time to an inquiry committee to file its preliminary recommendations about the role of the SMBBMU vice chancellor regarding suicide committed by of two women students.

Dr Rehman, through her lawyer, had approached the SHC and assailed the vires of a notification issued on Feb 12 whereby she was forced to proceed on leave for 45 days.

The counsel for the petitioner asserted that the certain incidents of suicidal death of the students, Nimirta Chandani and Nausheen Shah Kazmi, had prompted the competent authority to send the petitioner on forced leave. The entire exercise conducted in this regard was based on presumption, and not concrete evidence, as was available on record to force the petitioner to go on leave, the counsel said.

Dr Hassan had also petitioned the SHC and contended that he had been sent on 45-day forced leave to punish him on account of alleged fraud and forgery of millions of rupees allegedly by a private medical practitioner, Dr Jahangir.

The counsel argued that the petitioner was neither involved in corrupt practices nor was he responsible for Dr Jahangir’s alleged act.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2022