IHC stays demotion of Comsats University employees

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday granted stay orders against the alleged illegal demotion of 68 employees of the Comsats University Islamabad. The Comsats employees had approached the IHC through advocate Shoaib Shaheen while terming the demotion illegal. They contended that many other discriminatory and unlawful practices are being done by the university administration. Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb granted the stay order to the employees and issued notices to the authorities concerned in the varsity. According to the petition, the decision of demotion was taken in the 4th meeting of the Comsats University Senate under new administration. Sources in the varsity claimed that the new administration handling the university affairs has caused difficulties for the Comsats which is a public sector university heavily dependent on government funding and students fees. Multiple legal cases against the university will open the doors to spend millions of rupees on fighting cases in courts all over the country. The fourth meeting of the Senate of CUI, which was held on January 20, annulled the promotion of 68 employees of the Comsats University in 2018. The recommendation to send the employees back to old scales was approved, which has been challenged by the aggrieved employees in the Islamabad High Court. The employees have also filed a petition in the court, raising the legal point that the Senate subcommittee, which made recommendations for the demotion, is unconstitutional and illegal under the Comsats Act 2018. There is a legal protection under the CIIT Charter 2000 for the employees.