The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday issued a suspension order against Karachi University’s decision to revoke Judge Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri’s law degree. The court found that the university’s syndicate had acted in Jahangiri’s absence, depriving him of the opportunity to defend himself.
In its ruling, the court stated that the cancellation of Islamabad High Court Judge Jahangiri’s degree by KU’s Syndicate and Unfair Means Committee during a meeting where Jahangiri was not present was a “violation of Article 10-A of the Constitution,” which guarantees the right to a fair trial.
The court criticized the decision, noting that Jahangiri was not given a chance to be heard, calling the process “highly objectionable, illegal… and without lawful authority.”
The controversy began in July when a letter from the KU controller of examinations regarding Jahangiri’s degree circulated on social media. Last week, KU’s syndicate canceled Jahangiri’s degree and enrollment, which occurred shortly after Dr. Riaz Ahmed, a member of the academic and syndicate body, was detained by police, seemingly to prevent him from attending the crucial meeting. Ahmed was released only after the syndicate’s decision.
A petition filed with the SHC claimed that Jahangiri was “singularly targeted” in a scheme to damage his reputation, particularly since he was one of six Islamabad High Court judges who had raised concerns about alleged interference by intelligence operatives. The petition argued that Jahangiri was not present at the meeting and was not given representation, rendering the degree cancellation illegal.
Jahangiri’s counsel contended that KU’s Unfair Means Committee was “illegally formed” and that its recommendations were therefore void. The court agreed, ruling that the degree cancellation was done “without hearing” and violated fundamental legal principles. The petitioners’ claims were deemed to have substantial merit.
The court ordered KU to refrain from taking “any coercive measures based on these decisions” until the next hearing. Notices were to be dispatched to all respondents, including the Sindh Attorney General, with responses required within three weeks.
During the hearing, a two-member bench of SHC Justices Salahuddin Panhwar and Amjad Ali Sahito questioned the transparency of KU’s actions and the basis for the degree cancellation. They emphasized that the Judicial Commission, not KU, has the authority to make such decisions and highlighted that due process was not followed in Jahangiri’s case.
