KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) extended on Monday an interim order that suspended a Karachi University (KU) syndicate and Unfair Means Commi­ttee’s declaration cancelling the law degree of former justice Tariq Mehmood Jahnagiri, who was removed as an Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge last week.

Jahangiri has found himself mired in a fake degree controversy since last year and has been facing legal proceedings in the SHC and IHC over the matter. While an IHC division bench, led by Chief Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, ruled on December 18 that his degree was “invalid” and his elevation to the high court was “without lawful authority”, the SHC extended today its order under which KU’s August 2024 decision to cancel his degree remains suspended.

The order has been suspended until the next hearing, the date for which will be decided later.

The decision was taken by a two-judge bench, comprising Justices Yousuf Ali Saeed and Abdul Mobeen Lakho, as it heard a contempt plea filed against the KU Vice Chancellor (VC) Professor Khalid Mehmood Iraqi and Registrar Imran Ahmed Siddiqui.

Separately, Jahangiri‘s lawyer Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed said while speaking to the media at the court that “we filed a contempt application against KU as it concealed from the IHC“ the SHC order that suspended the varsity‘s “proceedings” in the case, as well as its decision to cancel Jahangiri’s law degree

During the hearing, KU VC Iraqi and Registrar Siddiqui appeared before the court and submitted affidavits.

The KU registrar argued that “now that the IHC has issued the final verdict, the contempt of court plea should be dismissed as it has become ineffective”.

He told the court that KU had not taken any action in compliance with SHC‘s October 3 order to suspend the cancellation of Jahangiri’s law degree.

“The IHC sought KU’s records via the Higher Education Commission,” he said.

Vice Chancellor Iraqi told the bench that the degree records were presented in court without any “alteration”.

The court directed Barrister Ahmed to receive replies submitted by the parties.

For his part, Barrister Ahmed argued that the case “should be heard soon”, highlighting the “urgency” of the matter.

Justice Saeed observed: “Today is the last day of this bench; the bench will hear the case as per the roster after the winter vacations.”

Following this observation, the bench extended its interim order till the next hearing.

During his media talk, Barrister Ahmed said the bench had observed that it was their last working day today and suggested that an “urgency application” may be filed later by Jahangiri’s side.

The lawyer also contended that while IHC CJ Dogar observed in his ruling on December 18 that the SHC had barred KU from taking any further action, it was not the case. “KU was not just stopped from further action, but their cancellation order had been suspended”.

He further added that “legally, the order remains suspended to date. IHC has taken a decision based on something which does not exist. A judge has been removed from office on [the basis of] an order that was suspended and remains suspended”.