KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has directed the authorities concerned to consider all the applicants that have applied in pursuance of original advertisement for appointment of vice chancellor at Karachi University strictly in accordance with law and rules.

The two-judge bench headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar disposed of a petition challenging a move to change the selection criteria for appointment of vice chancellor of Karachi University after the official respondents submitted that impugned corrigendum be treated as withdrawn.

The petitioners Prof Dr Mohammad Ahmed Qadri and Prof Dr Moonis Ahmar moved the SHC and contended that the authorities concerned had advertised the vacant post of vice chancellor in June 2019, but in October a corrigendum was issued in which the criteria relating to experience, research work and age was changed.

While impleading the chief secretary, secretary universities and boards and search committee as respondents, the petitioners further contended that they were also among the candidates, and the changes were made to give benefit to a few candidates and to seemingly exclude the petitioners in an “afterthought manner”.

The lawyer for petitioners argued that the impugned corrigendum was not only illegal but also in violation of Articles 4, 9 and 25 of the Constitution and asked to declare it as null and void.

The bench observed that it has already decided in a number of cases that the criteria for appointment in the advertisement cannot be subsequently changed/modified through a corrigendum and if such corrigendum was issued subsequently, the same was not sustainable in law.

In view of such legal position, the additional chief secretary universities and boards department Sindh Alamdin Bullo and an assistant advocate general stated that the impugned corrigendum should be treated as withdrawn/cancelled, it added.

The bench directed them to ensure that the cases of all applicants including the petitioners who had applied in pursuance of the original advertisement, published on June 29, 2019, must be considered by the respondents strictly in accordance with law and the prevailing rules/regulations/policy.

Inquiry into NICVD affairs

The National Accountability Bureau has filed comments before SHC in a petition filed by executive director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Dr Nadeem Qamar against alleged harassment of NAB and sought interim pre-arrest bail in the inquiry.

NAB in its reply maintained that it was probing alleged illegalities, illegal appointments and kickbacks in procurement during 2014 to 2020 against the NICVD management and alleged that the provincial authorities and management of the hospital were not extending required cooperation.

NAB further contended that the provincial health department has also expressed its inability to produce the record from NICVD and asked the anti-graft watchdog to get it directly from the leading cardiac health facility of the province.

It alleged that around 50 per cent of the funds provided by the provincial government were spent on the salaries of NICVD’s officials during last six years and the expenditure on treatment of patients was lowering every year.

Earlier, the SHC had granted interim bail to the petitioner.

The management of NICVD in another petition had also challenged the authority of FIA for issuing notices to the management of the hospital about an inquiry and argued that it has no jurisdiction to enquire into the affairs of the hospital which was under the administrative control of the provincial government.

They further submitted that NAB and other investigative bodies have already been conducting similar inquires and required documents have been provided to them.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2021