LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday, while rejecting the Punjab government’s appeal seeking reversal of earlier court orders pertaining to removal of four vice chancellors (VC), showed discontent over non-compliance of court orders and ordered immediate removal of the VCs.
Lahore High Court Justice Shahid Karim had earlier declared the appointment of Punjab University acting vice chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran and three other public sector universities, including Lahore College for Women University, University of Sargodha and Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering and Technology, Multan, as illegal.
The judge ordered that these acting VCs should be removed from their office and in the meantime the senior-most professors should be appointed as acting VCs within seven days till the appointment of permanent VCs. The judge held that Punjab Higher Education Department had no power to initiate the process or form a search committee as the same rested with the HEC.
But, on the Punjab government’s behalf, an intra-court appeal was filed in the LHC, challenging the removal of vice chancellors by a single bench. Punjab Additional Advocate General Shan Gul stated that these appointments were made under Section 14 of the Public Sector Universities Amended Act and there was no illegality in it.
The court on Monday rejected the petition and stressed on the immediate removal of the VCs. Justice Shahid Karim also strained on the fact that the courts orders were not followed when the judge previously passed his verdict and demanded the VCs’ immediate elimination. The court further said that it would announce the appointment of the new VCs soon.
