LHC seeks report on plea against ad for appointment of SIMS principal

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday sought a report from the Punjab government on a petition challenging the act of advertising the recruitment of principal of Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS).

The court directed the provincial law officer to seek instructions from the competent authority and submit a report on the next date of hearing, December 7.

Justice Muhammad Sajid Mehmood Sethi passed the orders on a petition, filed by SIMS acting principal Prof Dr Muhammad Amjad.

Advocate Malik Owais Khalid, on behalf of the petitioner, argued that his client was working as the acting principal of SIMS and he stood on top of the seniority list.

He submitted that as per Section 7 of the Punjab Health Medical Institutions Act 2013, the board of governors had powers to appoint the principal.

He stated that the board had already shortlisted the names and forwarded a list to the government.

However, the Punjab government advertised the slot on Nov 17 and sought applications for it, he added.

He contended that the step was a violation of the act. He pleaded with the court to set aside the step of advertising the slot and stay the process till the final decision on the petition.

At this, the court directed the law officer to seek instructions from the competent authority and submit a report on the next date of hearing.