KARACHI: The University of Karachi on Monday informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) that a decision on IHC Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri’s law degree was made in line with the varsity’s law, claiming there was “enough evidence” against the judge to decide the matter without giving him a chance for an in-person hearing.

The comments were filed by KU Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Iraqi, in response to a set of petitions challenging the decisions of KU’s unfair means committee and syndicate, to cancel the law degree of Justice Jahangiri of the Islamabad High Court.

According to the response, the unfair means committee and the syndicate were of the opinion that there was enough evidence against the judge, and deemed it appropriate not to hear him in person.

The varsity asserted that on May 23, one Irfan Mazhar had written to the VC about the verification of the LLB degree of the IHC judge, and the VC inquired about it from the controller of examinations.

VC says unfair means committee, syndicate did not hear the judge because there was ‘enough evidence’ against him

On May 29, the controller examinations had informed the registrar through a letter that two different enrolment numbers ap­­peared to have been allegedly allotted to the judge, whereas under its rules, KU only issued one number to a student enrol­led in any of its programmes, it maintained.

The KU also submitted that the registrar had forwarded such a letter to Mr Mazhar, who had also sought information from the Government Islamia Law College and in response, the college informed the applicant that the IHC judge (bearing enrollment No. AIL 7124/87) was never admitted to such college between 1984 and 1991 in the LLB programme.

The varsity further asserted that the petitions were not maintainable as the petitioners approached the SHC were not the aggrieved party as envisaged under Article 199 of the Constitution while a remedy was also available as an order of the syndicate can be called in question under the University of Karachi Act 1972, by the aggrieved person.

The VC, in his comments said, “The authority of UoK [University of Karachi] in the matter of the judge, IHC issued the decision according to its laws. I also say that the principles of natural justice were not violated. The decision was taken on the basis of the available record with the UoK, which is its custodian. The UFM and syndicate were of the opinion that there was enough material/evidence against the judge…supported with documentary proof and in their own wisdom deemed it appropriate not to hear the judge, IHC in person”.

“However, it does not mean that the UFM and syndicate have not afforded hearings to its students where they found it necessary to do so. It is only when fact-finding is necessary that students are called upon to explain their position and only in those cases is a hearing provided, generally, not otherwise,” it maintained.

The KU in its comments also said that on July 5, the registrar of the varsity had received an email from the IHC registrar seeking verification of a letter dated May 29, and three days later the KU registrar replied to the IHC and also forwarded the letter in question.

It further submitted that on July 27, an application dated July 8, 2024, was received by the controller examination that appea­red to have been filed by the judge supported by a copy of an LLB degree dated March 25, 1992, having seat No.22857/91.

The Sindh Higher Education Commis­sion in its reply said that the matter in question came within the competence of KU and the Sindh HEC had no role in it.

‘Dr Riaz’s abduction’

The SHO of Bahadurabad police station also filed comments on a connected petition filed by the KU syndicate member Dr Riaz Ahmed, who was picked up by the police on the day of the syndicate’s meeting and released in the evening.

The police claimed that Dr Riaz was arrested on Aug 31, under Section 54 of CrPC in connection with an illicit weapon lodged in 2017 at the Artillery Maiden police station. Dr Riaz was taken to Brigade and Firozabad police stations to check his criminal record but nothing was found against him and he was released.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2024