The University of Karachi (KU) has informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) that its proposed Student Council constitution is still awaiting approval from the Sindh government, as a petition seeking the restoration of student unions and elections at educational institutions remains pending.
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The university submitted its response to the court on Friday, stating that the proposed constitution had been forwarded to the Sindh government’s Universities and Boards Department on December 12, 2022.
According to KU, the Central Students Advisory Council prepared the proposed constitution. The university registrar subsequently sent it to the secretary of the Universities and Boards Department for approval.
However, the document has not yet received approval from the relevant government department, the university told the court.
KU challenges petition’s maintainability
In its response, the university maintained that the petitioners had failed to establish any violation of their fundamental constitutional rights.
KU said the process of preparing a constitution for the restoration of student unions and determining the procedure for holding elections had already been initiated.
The university also informed the court that an earlier petition concerning the same matter had been dismissed by the SHC. It requested the court to declare the fresh petition inadmissible and dismiss it.
After hearing the matter, the high court adjourned the proceedings for an indefinite period.
Petitioners argue elections can be held under existing law
During the previous hearing, counsel for the petitioners, Usman Farooq Advocate, argued that student union elections could be conducted under the existing law without waiting for additional rules and regulations.
He maintained that the university could not justify delaying the election process by relying on the non-approval of the proposed rules.
The petition was filed by students of the University of Karachi’s School of Law, including Ali Sher Muhammad Haris. They sought the implementation of the law governing student unions and the holding of elections at educational institutions.
The petitioners argued that the Sindh Students Union Act provides a legal framework for establishing and operating student unions across educational institutions in the province.
They also maintained that institutions were required to formulate regulations and procedures for conducting student union elections within two months of the enactment of the relevant regulations.
Sindh Assembly passed student union legislation in 2022
The legislation on student unions was initially drafted in 2019 and referred to the Standing Committee on Law and Parliamentary Affairs for further deliberations.
Following consultations with different stakeholders over the next two years, the Sindh Assembly unanimously passed the legislation in February 2022.
The bill received support from both treasury and opposition members, paving the way for a legal framework for student unions in the province.
However, the latest court proceedings highlight the delay in finalising the procedures needed to implement the framework at the University of Karachi.
With the proposed Student Council constitution still awaiting government approval, the process of restoring student representation and holding elections at KU remains unresolved.
