PHC issues contempt notice to officials over appointment

PESHAWAR: A division bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) has issued a contempt of court notice to the vice-chancellor and registrar of Agricultural University, Peshawar, for appointing junior professor as dean by ignoring the order of the court to appoint senior most professor to the post.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Mussarat Hilali issued show-cause notice in a contempt of court petition filed by Prof Dr Hameedullah and others through their lawyer Jehanzeb Mehsud.

During hearing, the lawyer informed the court that the university administration on December 6 appointed Prof Dr Muhammad Jamal as dean in violation of the court's order. The lawyer argued that as per the high court order, the university administration was directed to send names of three senior most professors in the university for the appointment of dean.

However, the lawyer submitted that the respondent officials in violation of the court order appointed junior professor Dr Muhammad Jamal and thus they had committed contempt of court. The bench, after hearing arguments in the petition, issued the notice to the respondent officials and fixed December 20 for next hearing in the case.