Aitchison principal’s termination case adjourned

LAHORE
The Lahore High Court Wednesday postponed till October 8 the hearing of the petition of Professor Dr Agha Ghazanfar challenging his termination as Principal Aitchison College.
Earlier Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh had admitted the petition for regular hearing and had sought replies from the respondents. The court ordered that in the interregnum, the parties agreed that the petitioner should be accorded the title, the pay and other perquisites of his position as the Principal Aitchison College. As a consequence, he shall be entitled to use the official residence and car as per his entitlement without any let or hindrance by the respondents.
The petitioner shall, however, not interfere with the academic and administrative affairs of the college. This interim arrangement has been arrived with a view to arriving at a broader out of court settlement.
Petitioner counsel Mustafa Ali Sabzwari submitted that petitioner was appointed as the principal for four year on December 8, 2014 by board of governor for a period of four years and he was on ex-Pakistan leave which was duly sanctioned by the board of governor and in his absence a board meeting was held on July 28, 2015 at the behest of certain influential persons, whose children the petitioner refused to admit as they failed to qualify on merit.
Counsel submitted that in the same meeting an order was passed for removing the petitioner from his post and petitioner learned through media about the purported order as this order was never communicated to Dr Ghazanfar.
The counsel submitted that the meeting was held behind the petitioner's back and he was admittedly not afforded an opportunity of hearing before passing of the impugned order and the petitioner was condemned unheard.
He submitted that the impugned order was passed in violation of basic principle of natural law that no person is to be condemned unheard.
He said that the petitioner has been penalised for his adherence to merit and transparency and abhorrence to corruption and corrupt practices. Counsel submitted that the petitioner after taking charge of the principal realised and discovered massive irregularities resulting into corrupt practice particularly in the admission process and in administrative and financial affairs. He said submitted that the petitioner overhauled the admission process and based the same strictly on pure merit as also is the official stated policy of the board of governor and instructions of the chief minister.