The Lahore High Court has annulled a circular issued by the Governor of Punjab regarding the eligibility criteria for appointing Vice Chancellors in the province’s public universities.
Justice Abid Hussain Chatha of the Lahore High Court delivered a detailed verdict during the hearing of petitions filed by Dr. Shazia Arshad and others.
The court’s ruling stated that the notification issued by the Governor of Punjab is contrary to the law. Each university operates under its own act, which outlines the appointment process for Vice Chancellors and Deans. The Governor cannot unilaterally establish a procedure and incorporate it into the act; thus, the procedure set forth by the Governor has no legal standing.
The petition filed in court asserted that the act of each public sector university already contains the procedure for appointing Vice Chancellors and Deans, and the Governor cannot dictate the appointment process for Deans contrary to the law. The petitioners requested that the court nullify the Governor’s circular regarding the appointment of Deans.
Following the arguments, the court declared the circular issued by the Governor of Punjab regarding the eligibility for Vice Chancellor appointments in public universities to be null and void.
It is noteworthy that the Punjab government had appointed Vice Chancellors for seven universities on September 23, 2024, leading to visible disagreements between Governor Sardar Saleem Haider and the provincial government.
