HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, on Thursday directed the assistant registrar of the joint stock companies at Hyderabad to hold transparent election for the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) in accordance with the relevant law.

The bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Mohammad Iqbal Mahar passed the order while disposing of a petition, jointly filed by Mohammad Yaqoob Chandio and Tariq Mansoor Qureshi in 2014.

The petitioners had informed court that a dispute between two SPLA groups after the association’s election for its office-bearers and governing body for 2012-13 had led the emergence of two parallel bodies.

They stated that the two groups had approached the provincial registrar of the joint stock companies for endorsement of their respective elected bodies but the matter had remained pending since Jan 8, 2013.

They stated that the then industries and commerce secretary had assigned an inquiry to Manzoor Alam Farooqui, who in his report recommended appointment of an administrator to took after the SPLA affairs and conduct free, fair and impartial elections.

They said that they were still waiting for the implementation of the recommendations.

They prayed to court to direct the industries and commerce secretary to implement recommendations of the report dated May 6, 2014.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2016