Islamabad (HRNW)- The Federal Constitutional Court has issued a significant ruling on recruitment in government universities, restoring the University of Karachi’s recruitment process and clarifying the limits of judicial intervention in appointment matters.
According to the judgment, not every unsuccessful candidate can convert a recruitment dispute into a constitutional matter merely by alleging a lack of transparency or violation of rules. The court held that constitutional jurisdiction can only be exercised where the legality of the recruitment process itself is affected.
The court observed that allowing judicial review in every recruitment dispute would effectively turn constitutional courts into appellate forums for appointments, which is contrary to Article 199 of the Constitution. It further stated that courts acting as appellate bodies for educational institutions is incompatible with the autonomy of universities.
The Federal Constitutional Court emphasized that government universities are expected to conduct recruitment fairly and in accordance with the relevant legal framework. The court restored the decisions of the University of Karachi’s Selection Committee and Syndicate, while declaring the earlier Sindh High Court judgment null and void.
The case had been filed by Dr. Feroz Alam Jafri, who challenged the recruitment of professors before the Sindh High Court. The High Court had earlier invalidated the recruitment process on the grounds that a member of the selection committee was also a candidate.
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