KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices to the provincial authorities on a petition filed by the students of Dawood University of Engineering & Technology (DUET) against the show-cause notices issued them for holding Holi celebration event on the varsity premises.

The SHC also directed the DUET administration to allow the petitioners to reply to the show-cause notices through any mode, including the university portal, but not limited to it.

Citing the university and boards department secretary, vice chancellor, registrar, secretary syndicate and other officials of the varsity as respondents, six students of the DUET through their counsel have petitioned the SHC and submitted that they, along with other students, had organised a cultural activity, ‘Colors Day’, in solidarity with Hindu students/ friends of the university on the occasion of their religious festival ‘Holi’, which was held peacefully without any violence.

Petitioners Waseem Ahmed Jamali, Muhammad Tahir, Arshad Hussain, Sameer Hussain, Sahil Kumar and Om Kumar also submitted that the Hindu students, including the petitioners, had filed proper applications to the authorities concerned for permission to hold the event, but they were not answered.

They contended that the university administration falsely claimed that there was violence during the event and lodged an FIR which was currently pending adjudication before a court and the petitioners had obtained bail.

Thereafter, the petitioners maintained that they received show-cause notices on Feb 21 through which their entry in the varsity was banned and subsequently, second show-cause notices were also sent to them despite responding the earlier notices and the administration had blocked the university portal.

The lawyer for petitioners, Faizullah Mallano, argued that as the case was pending before the trial court, the university administration had maliciously harassed and threatened the students and on Feb 27, the varsity’s syndicate decided to suspend/ rusticate the petitioners.

He also asserted that academic journey of the petitioners had been adversely affected due to the administration’s personal animosity and the impugned show-cause notices were issued without providing an opportunity to the petitioners to be heard, violating the principles of natural justice by restricting their entry to the university.

The counsel further contended that the impugned actions on the part of the varsity were made in violation of the petitioners’ fundamental rights as guaranteed under Articles 4, 9, 18, 25, and 37 of the Constitution, which ensured the right to due process, personal security, equal treatment and education.

He argued that the environment of respondent university posed a serious threat to the petitioners’ safety as the hostile conduct of the administration created an environment incompatible with the requirements of a fair and conducive educational setting as well as it failed to encourage the faith harmony among students on the university premises.

The petitioners asked the SHC to declare the show-cause notices and meeting minutes issued by the director students affair and syndicate of DUET as illegal and void ab initio (to be treated as invalid from the outset).

They also sought directives for the university administration to immediately restore the petitioners and restrain the respondents from taking any coercive action against the students as well as to process and approve the semester registration process of the petitioners through online portal, considering the safety of the petitioners, and to ensure safe and conducive academic environment for the petitioners free from harassment, discrimination and victimisation.

After a preliminary hearing, a two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro in its order said: “Notice to the respondents as well as learned AG Sindh for 30.04.2025. Meanwhile, petitioners may be allowed to reply their show-cause notices through any mode, including but not limited to portal, which may be opened for online registration.”

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2025