Karachi court summons university registrar in student elections case — Dawn

The Sindh High Court in Karachi, Pakistan, issued notices to the chief secretary and other respondents in a petition concerning the holding of student union elections at the University of Karachi. A two-judge constitutional bench headed by Justice Riazat Ali Sahar also directed the university registrar to appear in person at the next hearing on November 12.

Petition by law students

The respondents in the case include the chief secretary, the secretary of the Universities and Boards Department, the secretaries of the Education and Law departments, as well as the vice chancellor and registrar of the University of Karachi. The petitioners, who study at the university’s law faculty, said they are directly affected by the failure to implement the Sindh Students’ Unions Act.

As Dawn reports, the petitioners’ lawyer, Usman Farooq, noted that the law sets out the principles for establishing and operating student unions at educational institutions in the province. According to him, educational institutions were required to develop rules and procedures for holding student union elections within two months after the relevant rules were adopted.

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The lawyer also referred to the University of Karachi Act of 1972, which contains provisions on a student union. He argued that the university has still not developed regulations or procedures for such elections, although the student unions law was passed about four years ago.

Requests in the petition

The petitioners’ representative said that the Universities and Boards Department had prepared draft rules, but they have not yet been finalized or published. According to him, the draft rules sent to all universities, including the University of Karachi, in 2024 were undergoing legal vetting at the Law Department.

The petition asks for the legal vetting of the Sindh Student Union Rules to be completed, for them to be submitted to the provincial cabinet within 30 days, and for them to be published in the official gazette. The petitioners also ask that the vice chancellor and registrar be ordered to develop procedures, form an election commission, and organize student union elections. The court invited the respondents and the Advocate General of Sindh to submit their comments in the case.