LHC orders CM to comply with verdict on UAF VC

LAHORE:The Lahore High Court on Tuesday directed Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to comply with a judgment about appointment of the vice-chancellor of University of Agriculture Faisalabad or personally appear at the next hearing.

Justice Sajid Mehmood Sethi was hearing a petition seeking contempt proceedings against the chief minister and other functionaries for not initiating process for the VC’s appointment in compliance with the judgment.

On the previous hearing, a provincial law officer was directed to furnish a report on behalf of the chief minister on the implementation of the decision. However, the law officer on Tuesday sought further time for the purpose and said the government wanted to place some documents before the court.

Justice Sethi expressed his dismay and asked the law officer as if the judgment in question stood revived after the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by the government against it. The law officer answered in affirmative. The judge observed that the matter pertained to contempt proceedings for not implementing the judgment and there was no point of placing any further document as the government had already lost its case before the apex court.

The judge reminded the law officer to convey to the respondents that there were only two options in a contempt matter either to comply with the order or face the consequences. The judge directed the law officer to submit a compliance report on 12 October or bring the chief minister to the court.

Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan had filed the contempt petition through Advocate Bilal Hassan Minto pleading that a single bench had on 4 February, 2020, set aside the appointment of Dr Muhammad Ashraf as the vice-chancellor of the university with a direction to the government to notify the candidate highest in the merit list strictly in accordance with law.

The counsel said a division bench later set aside the single bench’s decision and the matter went to the Supreme Court. However, he said, the apex court suspended the judgment of the division bench and the decision of the single bench became operative.

He argued that the respondents, including the chief minister, failed to initiate the process for the appointment of new VC of the university in terms of the single bench’s judgment.

He said the act of the respondents amounted to contempt of court. Ex-SSP’s remand extended: An accountability court Tuesday extended judicial remand of former SSP Junaid Arshad, an accused of assets beyond means, until October 15.

Jail authorities produced the accused before the court. The court adjourned the hearing after summoning two prosecution witnesses. The NAB has accused the former police officer of accumulating assets worth Rs800 million between 2002 and 2008. He also faces a case for uploading obscene pictures of his former wife on social media.