SC asks three medical varsities VCs to resign, forms search bodies for fresh appointments

LAHORE: The Supreme Court Sunday asked vice chancellors of Fatima Jinnah Medical University (FJMU), Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU) and Faisalabad Medical University (FMU) to resign from their offices.

The SC bench comprising Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan while hearing a suo motu notice over appointment of public sector universities' vice chancellors, also formed three search committees for the selection of new vice chancellors of universities, directing them to complete the process as soon as possible.

The bench also tasked the search committees to appoint acting vice chancellors from among the senior most professors of the universities.

As the proceedings started, FJMU VC Prof Dr Khalid Masood Gondal, RMU VC Prof Dr Muhammad Umar and FMU VC Prof Dr Farid Zafar, along with the Secretary Health, appeared before the court in response to the court notices.

The court had issued notices to the VCs to explain why not search committees for selection of vice chancellors be formed afresh, after expressing reservations on the earlier appointments.

To a query, the Secretary Health apprised the bench about members of the search committees, who had recommended the panels for appointment of VCs to the universities.

At this, the bench formed new search committees and directed them to complete the process as soon as possible, while asking the VCs to resign from their posts. The bench directed the search committee members to recommend the panel on merit.

Meanwhile, the bench also formed a new search committee for selection of a permanent vice chancellor of the King Edward Medical University, Lahore.