The Lahore High Court is going to announce verdict on Friday (today) on six identical petitions challenging the process for appointment of six public sector universities vice-chancellors (VCs) and composition of a “search committee” for finding candidates for the VC slots.
Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh had reserved verdict on June 14 after hearing arguments by the petitioning counsels and Additional Advocate General Muhammad Hanif Khatana.
Hanif Khatana, on behalf of the provincial government, told the court that appointments of all six VCs were being made according to law. He said the search committee was made of 89 short-listed members out of a total of 235 for the posts of VCs who fulfilled the set criteria.
The six petitions were filed by Dr Hassan Amir Shah and others. Petitioner Dr Hassan Amir Shah, a professor of physics in Government College University, Lahore, through his counsel Anwar Kamal assailed the composition of the “search committee” saying there were no rules, regulations and policy guidelines for selection and appointment of its members and thus the committee lacked the legal basis for selecting VCs for public universities.
The petitioner pointed out that none of the members of search committee had a PhD or teaching experience.
