LAHORE: Justice Shujaat Ali Khan of the Lahore High Court Friday nullified the appointment of Mian Abdul Haq as principal of the Government Central Model High School Lahore, holding that the said incumbent was not eligible for the post.

Dr Muhammad Arshad, who was one of the contestants for the office, had challenged the appointment of Mian Abdul Haq. Petitioner counsel Junaid Jabbar Khan alleged that Mian Abdul Haq had been appointed after his retirement without fulfilling the legal requirement for the post.

He said that the competent authority in the matter of appointment against the post of principal was the board. He said that the Punjab government did not figure anywhere for appointing the principal and the appointment was without legal justification.

He said, “Mian Abdul Haq was initially given additional charge of the post of principal till the selection of regular principal, but the government in clear violation of the rules and regulations appointed him on contract basis after his retirement from government service which was an act of favouritism and nepotism.”

The Punjab additional advocate general, while opposing the petition, claimed that there was no illegality in appointment of Mian Abdul Haq.

However, the court after hearing the counsels declared the appointment illegal and in violation of the prescribed rules.