Humayun Khan
PESHAWAR: Civil Judge Peshawar Justice Abdullah Qazi has directed Vice Chancellor and Registrar University of Peshawar to appear before court otherwise honorable court shall issue arrest warrant against the competent officials.
The learned civil judge was hearing a case filed by Peshawar University Teachers Association (PUTA) against the University through its Vice Chancellor and Registrar for not conducting elections of Syndicate and Senate of the university amongst the chairmen, professors, assistant professors etc as members due to malafide and ulterior motives they being the bodies to keep a check on the vice chancellor.
PUTA was represented by Senior Lawyer Saifullah Muhib Kakakhel. The lawyer argued that as per the KP Universities Act, 2012 as amended, the elections are to be held 6 weeks before expiry of the tenure of the members but since 4 months of the expiry of the tenure the same are yet to be scheduled.
The counsel argued that the elections were scheduled and then not held and when one of the chairmen candidate for syndicate moved the court against them he was removed from chairmanship to make him ineligible to contest, the notification was suspended by learned Civil Court, Peshawar.
The PUTA’s lawyer argued that the vice chancellor has grabbed all powers for himself by not conducting elections of syndicate and senate which are merely head horses in absence of elected members and by appointing a registrar on acting charge basis becoming the sole authority of power without any check and balance.
The counsel for PUTA argued that on 16.03.2021 the electoral list was announce but the elections are being delayed on one pretext or another. The lawyer argued that elections of principal/director to the syndicate and senate were also held on directions of the courts.
The learned civil judge Abdullah Qazi after hearing arguments of the counsel for PUTA summoned The Vice Chancellor and Registrar of the university to clarify certain points formulated by the learned judge including that Whether the election of the syndicate and senate can be delayed?
The learned civil judge also directed to clarify the inability to conduct the elections amount’s to incompetency? The learned judge also summoned to clear that whether the teachers have suffered due to their non-representation in syndicate and senate?
The honorable also inquired that whether it was justified for the university authorities to push the teachers so far to bring their legitimate statutory claim/ rights for enforcement before a court of law?
The learned civil judge also ordered that incase of failure to appear personally he will follow section 94 of CPC by issuing arrest warrants against the VC and Registrar of UOP.
