The High Court today issued a rule asking the authorities to explain under what authority Prof M Abdus Sobhan is holding the office of vice chancellor of Rajshahi University.

VC Abdus Salam, secretaries to the President’s Office, Education Ministry and University Grants Commission and other officials concerned have been made respondents to the rule returnable in four weeks.

The HC bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir Lytton came up with the rule following a writ petition filed by Salman Firoz Faisal, a former student of computer science and engineering department of RU, challenging the legality of the appointment of Dr Abdus Sobhan as the VC of the university.

In the petition, he said Dr Abdus Sobhan has been appointed the VC of RU in violation of the relevant law, as no panel was nominated for selecting the VC.

Prof Sobhan, who was the RU VC from 2009 to 2013, was appointed as VC of RU on May 7, 2017, for the second time for four years in violation of the law, Salman added.

Advocate AJ Mohammad Ali appeared for the writ petitioner.