CJP takes suo motu notice of wedding halls at PU

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took on Monday suo motu notice of construction of wedding halls within the vicinity of the University of Punjab.

The top judge has sought a reply over the construction work from Lahore Development Authority.

“On what basis have commercial engagements been allowed to carry out within the vicinity of the varsity,” Chief Justice Nisar questioned. 

CJP Nisar also turned the petition of the citizen over the issue into suo motu notice. 

On April 21, the transfer of University of Punjab land to the provincial government was suspended after Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry took action against it. 

A two-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar, also summoned more details pertaining to the issue from the Punjab government.

Transfer of Punjab university land to govt suspended

Court also summoned members of syndicate, which was responsible for selling the university land to govt

During suo motu hearing on illegal appointments of vice-chancellors, the court ordered the Punjab government to immediately appoint a new vice-chancellor for Punjab university.

The provincial government asked the court for more time pertaining to the continuous appointment of the new vice-chancellor.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court's Lahore Registry had ordered the suspension of University of Punjab vice-chancellor Dr Zakaria Zakar.

The court also ordered that university’s senior-most professor should be appointed to serve as interim vice-chancellor.

The court also summoned the members of the syndicate that was responsible for selling the land. Later, the syndicate members had suspended their decision to transfer university land to the government.

While addressing the syndicate, the top judge had remarked: “On whose authority did the syndicate ask the university for the land?” The court has been informed that the land was allotted for the construction of the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project, he added.

Chief Justice Nisar also questioned why hasn’t a continuous vice-chancellor been appointed at the university in the last 2.5 years. “Please inform us who is responsible for this,” he remarked.