PESHAWAR: A local court has summoned the University of Peshawar’s vice- chancellor and registrar over a lawsuit seeking the syndicate and senate elections for the constituency of teachers.

Fixing Feb 19 for the next hearing into the petition filed by the Peshawar University Teachers Association (Puta), civil judge Abdullah Qazi directed the defendants, including the VC and registrar, to submit written statements on the matter.

The court directed the two defendants to appear in person and warned if they failed to do so, proceedings against them would be initiated under the Code of Civil Procedure.

It also observed that it was a pity that teachers had to bring their claim to it for the enforcement of a statutory duty, which the defendants were duty bound to carry out.

The PUTA requested the court to declare that the defendants were legally bound to hold elections for the constituency of professor, associate professor and chairman for the seats of syndicate and senate of the university.

Senior advocate Saifullah Muhib Kakakhel appeared for the plaintiff and contended that the university had not been holding elections of syndicate and the senate among the chairmen, professors, assistant professors etc. as members due to mala fide and ulterior motives as these bodies would be keeping a check on the VC and university’s administration.

He argued that under the Amended KP Universities Act, 2012, the elections were to be held six weeks before the expiry of the tenure of the members but the same hadn’t been scheduled even four months after the end of that tenure.

The lawyer argued that earlier the elections were scheduled and then not held and when one of the chairmen candidate for syndicate moved the court against them he was removed from chairmanship to make him ineligible to contest. He added that the said notification was suspended by the civil court.

The counsel contended that the VC had grabbed all powers for himself by not conducting elections of syndicate and senate which were useless entities in absence of elected members.

He said on March 16, 2021, the electoral list was announced but the elections were being delayed on one pretext or another.

The lawyer said the elections of principal/director to the syndicate and senate were also held on directions of the courts.

The court decided to summon the VC and the registrar for clarifying certain points formulated by the court including whether the election of the syndicate and senate can be delayed; whether the inability to conduct the elections amounts to incompetency; whether the teachers have suffered due to their non-representation in syndicate and senate, and whether it was is for the university authorities to push the teachers so far to bring their legitimate statutory claim and rights for enforcement before a court of law.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2022