Sindh High Court seeks progress report on Karachi University student union elections

What happened

A division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC), led by Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry, has directed a provincial law officer to provide a progress report within five weeks regarding the regulation of procedures for student union elections [2]. This direction follows a petition filed by Taimoor Ahmed and others seeking the restoration of student unions in universities under the Sindh Students Union Act [2].

According to the petition, students at the Karachi University (KU) School of Law filed a case seeking the revival of the student union [1]. The petitioners argued that while the Sindh Students Union Act 2019 was approved, the necessary rules and regulations have not yet been formulated [1]. They requested the court to instruct the Sindh government to examine the rules and issue a notification for the law [1]. The petition also called for the university administration to form an election commission and hold elections [1].

Key details regarding the legal framework include:

• The Sindh Students Union Bill was drafted in 2019 and referred to the standing committee on law and parliamentary affairs [1].
• After two years of consultation, the law was passed unanimously in February 2022 [1].
• The Act mandates that educational institutions formulate regulations and procedures for student union elections within two months of the law’s promulgation [2].
• The 2022 law states that student union activities should complement academic and extracurricular programs [1].
• Counsel Usman Farooq stated that the Senate of Pakistan passed a resolution to lift the ban on student unions, arguing that the prohibition violates Article 17 of the Constitution [2].
• Counsel for KU informed the court that the university has started the process to regulate election procedures and has sent a proposed constitution for its students council to the secretary of universities and boards [2].

Who is affected

The legal proceedings involve several parties and institutions:

• Students of Karachi University, specifically those represented by Taimoor Ahmed and petitioners from the School of Law [1, 2].
• The Karachi University administration, including the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar [1].
• Government officials named in the petition include the Chief Secretary, the Secretary of Universities and Boards, the Secretary of Colleges, and the Secretary of Law [1].
• The Sindh government is responsible for the formulation of rules and the issuance of law notifications [1].
• The University of Karachi Act 1972, specifically Chapter II, Section 8(1), states there shall be a union of students represented in the university senate [2].