VCs’ appointment case: PHC orders govt to implement decision or face contempt action

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday directed the provincial government to implement the court order in the vice-chancellors’ appointment case or else face contempt proceedings.

A bench consisting Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Mohammad Ijaz Khan directed the respondents concerned to implement the court decision in the vice-chancellors appointment case, or else contempt of court proceedings would be initiated against them.

Earlier, five senior academics had petitioned the Peshawar High Court seeking the initiation of contempt proceedings against the provincial chief secretary and other officials, accusing them of not implementing the judgement about the appointment of vice-chancellors of several public sector universities in the province.

The bench asked the concerned quarters to comply with the court order by November 20.The contempt petition was filed by Dr Aurangzeb Khan, a professor at the University of Science and Technology, Bannu, and four other educators.

The petitioners pleaded the court to take action against the respondents including chief secretary, secretaries of higher education, law and establishment departments and others for not complying with the court orders in the case.

The petitioners had earlier filed a plea before the court for declaring the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government move as illegal for reinitiating the appointment process of vice chancellors to 19 public sector universities in the province.