Karachi University’s decision to reject Justice Jahangiri’s degree is suspended by the SHC.

Following a plea against the university’s move, the Sindh High Court (SHC) halted Karachi University’s decision on Friday to invalidate Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri’s degree from the Islamabad High Court.

The Syndicate and Unfair Means Committee of Karachi University was also prohibited by the court from acting on its recommendations in any way.

The case was heard by a division bench that of Justices Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Iqbal Kalhoro. Prof. Imran Siddiqui, the registrar of Karachi University, said at the hearing that he had only just learned about the situation and asked for more time to respond.

Barrister Salahuddin, the petitioner’s attorney, stated that in order to protect his client, the university’s judgment should be put on hold while the parties have time to reply.

Justice Iqbal Kalhoro said at the hearing that the court must proceed extremely cautiously because this is a subject involving a person’s lifetime accomplishments. He went on to say that the impacted party must be heard if the petition is submitted thirty to thirty-five years later. A decision would be legally weak if it were made without providing the parties with an opportunity to be heard.

Justice Kalhoro added that ex parte verdicts are typically not regarded as fair rulings and that it’s conceivable the action against the petitioner was motivated by personal reasons. The court further clarified that the decision does not adhere to legal requirements if Karachi University did not notify the petitioner.

The court was told by the university registrar that he was recently hired and did not fully understand the case’s specifics. The court’s response to this was that anyone who shows up in court must answer the questions.

The court postponed the hearing until November 20 to give the parties time to file their answers.