ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has summoned Registrar Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (SBBU) in a case regarding regularization of university employees at its Chitral campus now merged with another campus to establish University of Chitral.
A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heard a petition filed by the employees.
During the course of proceedings, the bench observed that the Chitral campus has now become a university and regularizing employees was in the jurisdiction of the university.
Justice Munib Akhtar said the university management had stated that they had not sufficient budget. He asked why did the university advertise the posts again when there was no budget?
Justice Umar Ata Bandial said there was no mechanism as people had started considering education as a business. He observed that employees should be regularized depending on their qualifications and recruitments should be in accordance with the law.
The counsel for the university said the university bore all expenses from its own budget and got no fund from the Higher Education Commission.
Justice Munib Akhtar said if HEC did not allocate budge, would the university expel all employees? The university can\’t remove employees whose performance was good, he added.
The counsel for the university said in 2017 the Chitral sub-campus had received university status.
Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan asked what was written about contractual employees in the new Act? The lawyer responded that there was a contract between the university and the employees.
The counsel for the employees said the high court had ordered that employees be regularized. For two years, employees had not been allowed to work despite being regularized, he added.
Later, the court summoned Registrar of the university and adjourned hearing of the case till date in office.