KARACHI – An alleged irregularity involving the passing of around 150 failed students of law colleges affiliated with the University of Karachi has come to light as the questions are being raised over the legality of a scrutiny process that resulted in students who had initially failed being declared successful.
Teh reports suggested that NED University Vice Chancellor Dr Tufail Jokhio, who was serving as the acting vice chancellor of the University of Karachi, approved the scrutiny of the failed students despite former permanent Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Iraqi having rejected an earlier summary seeking the same process.
The university’s examinations department, the reports said, acting on a written recommendation from the Dean of the Faculty of Law and with the approval of the acting vice chancellor, passed around 150 students of SM Law College and Islamia Law College who had initially failed in at least two subjects.
The students had been declared unsuccessful in the original examination results and answer scripts. However, they were subsequently passed in the BA-LLB programme following what sources described as the formation of a purported scrutiny committee.
Dr Khalid Iraqi said a collective application had been submitted by the students, whereas the university normally processes individual scrutiny applications. He said that under the rules governing the annual examination system, scrutiny was limited to recounting marks and did not allow rechecking of examination scripts. He therefore stopped the process.
The alleged irregularity has created a new challenge for the university’s newly appointed Vice Chancellor Dr Wasim Qazi, particularly because records of the purported scrutiny committee’s meeting and approval sheets signed by the acting vice chancellor are reportedly available.
Sources said a large number of LLB students had initially failed papers such as Obligations and Pakistan Studies, with some securing zero or very low marks. They were subsequently awarded between 50 and 65 marks after the alleged scrutiny process and declared successful.
The development is also unusual because, according to sources, the examinations department issued revised mark sheets showing students as failed in the original results and passed after scrutiny.
Sources said a scrutiny committee comprising Dean of the Faculty of Law Barrister Sarfraz Maitlo, representatives of the two law colleges and the controller of examinations was formed. The committee met on August 5 under the chairmanship of the dean and decided to re-examine answer scripts for Paper V of LLB Part-II, despite apparent restrictions under university rules on rechecking examination scripts.
On August 6, the controller of examinations reportedly obtained approval for the committee’s recommendations from Acting Vice Chancellor Dr Tufail Ahmed. The approval reportedly included the phrase “other related cases”, which was subsequently used to cover students who had failed Pakistan Studies papers as well.
Following the approval, the principal of SM Law College asked students on the same day to apply for scrutiny.
SM Law College Principal Professor Fareed Dayo said around 180 students had been failed by a teacher at Islamia College and that the college took the cases before the scrutiny committee, after which students who had allegedly been treated unfairly were passed.
Meanwhile, questions have also previously been raised over the appointment of Barrister Sarfraz Maitlo as Dean of the Faculty of Law. According to the report, his appointment was allegedly contrary to the University of Karachi Act. Former Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Iraqi had not included Maitlo’s name in the panel of candidates submitted for the position, but the Board of Intermediate Education and Universities Department rejected the panel and issued a notification appointing Maitlo instead. The report also alleged that he did not meet the eligibility criteria for the position.
