KARACHI, Nov 27: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday suspended implementation of an order of the Sindh government seeking the immediate shifting of the Sindh Muslim Government Science College to the Government Girls Degree College, Kharadar.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Mushir Alam also gave two weeks’ time to respondents to file comments.

Barrister Zameer Ghumro filed a petition on behalf of Sarfaraz Khan Utmanzai and three other students impleading the chief secretary, the Sindh governor, the Sindh Madressatul Islam University vice chancellor, the principal of the SM Govt Science College, the provincial education director for colleges and the additional director for colleges inspection as respondents.

The petitioners prayed to the court to suspend the operation of the letter ordering the college to be shifted, and stay the process until the petition was decided.

They submitted that the Sindh government had earlier merged the college with the Sindh Madressatul Islam University. Having administrative control over the college property, the university management decided to shift the assets and staff of the SM Govt Science College to the building of the Govt Degree Girls College located in Kharadar, they added.

They stated that on Oct 11, the additional director for college inspection, Karachi, through a letter, gave directions of immediately shifting of the college to the new premises along with the teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as physical assets.

The decision had been taken in process of creating space for the arts campus on the premises of college, they said, adding that the shifting of the college during the ongoing session put the career of 1,500 students studying at the college in jeopardy.

Baldia factory fire case

The Sindh High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing till Nov 30 of the bail plea of the owners of the Baldia garment factory, where a devastating fired had killed over 250 workers in September.

The court also fixed the matter for hearing before Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar.

The applicants, Arshad Abdul Aziz, and Shahid Abdul Aziz, had approached to court to be released on bail.

In the bail application, they had submitted that the investigation carried out by the police was full of errors. The police had forced the witnesses to record their statements against the factory owners, they added.

The applicants had submitted that the version recorded in the FIR was motivated and subsequently every effort was made only to strengthen the version of the FIR instead of bringing the truth on the record.—PPI