The Sindh High Court (SHC) extended on Monday an interim order that suspended a Karachi University (KU) syndicate and Unfair Means Committee’s declaration cancelling the law degree of former justice Tariq Mehmood Jahnagiri, who was removed as an Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge last week.
The order has been suspended until the next hearing, the date for which will be decided later.
The decision was taken by a two-judge bench, comprising Justices Yousuf Ali Saeed and Abdul Mobeen Lakho, as it heard a contempt plea filed against the KU Vice Chancellor (VC) Professor Khalid Mehmood Iraqi and Registrar Imran Ahmed Siddiqui.
Separately, Jahangiri’s lawyer Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed said while speaking to the media at the court that “we filed a contempt application against KU as it concealed from the IHC” the SHC order that suspended the varsity’s “proceedings” in the case, as well as its decision to cancel Jahangiri’s law degree
During the hearing, KU VC Iraqi and Registrar Siddiqui appeared before the court and submitted affidavits.
The KU registrar argued that “now that the IHC has issued the final verdict, the contempt of court plea should be dismissed as it has become ineffective”.
He told the court that KU had not taken any action in compliance with SHC’s October 3 order to suspend the cancellation of Jahangiri’s law degree.
“The IHC sought KU’s records via the Higher Education Commission,” he said.
Vice Chancellor Iraqi told the bench that the degree records were presented in court without any “alteration”.
The court directed Barrister Ahmed to receive replies submitted by the parties.
For his part, Barrister Ahmed argued that the case “should be heard soon”, highlighting the “urgency” of the matter.
Justice Saeed observed: “Today is the last day of this bench; the bench will hear the case as per the roster after the winter vacations.”
Following this observation, the bench extended its interim order till the next hearing.
During his media talk, Barrister Ahmed said the bench had observed that it was their last working day and suggested that an “urgency application” may be filed later by Jahangiri’s side.