The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday restrained the vice chancellor of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) from taking any major decision regarding the varsity’s affairs.
Headed by Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, a division bench issued notices to respondents – DUHS Vice Chancellor Professor Masood Hameed Khan, the university’s registrar, the health secretary to file their respective comments by October 20.
The bench barred Prof Masood from holding any syndicate meeting and taking any major decision in respect of affairs of the university. However, he was allowed to deal with the normal/routine affairs.
The petitioner, Dr Shershah Syed, submitted that the court had declared the appointment of Prof Masood as vice chancellor of the varsity as unlawful for third term after being approached by him.
He said Prof Masood had also filed a petition through which he had challenged the provision of the DUHS Act, but his petition was dismissed by a division bench of the SHC.
However, he was allowed to continue in the VC’s office after the Sindh governor promulgated the Dow University of Health Sciences (Amendment) Ordinance 2014.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that the Supreme Court had already held in one case that person-specific laws could not be promulgated because such exercise instead of promoting justice causes injustice to the society, amongst the citizens, who are being governed under the constitution.
He said that the registrar of DUHS had issued person-specific notification on September 16 in contravention of SC’s verdict whereby on the basis of his past performance, Prof Masood had been directed to continue as the VC of DUHS for two years with effect from September 13 though he had ceased to hold the office in view of the SHC judgment dated June 12.
He requested the court to declare the person-specific amendment to the DUHS Act as illegal and restrain the respondent from holding the office of VC anymore.