HC questions legality of JU VC appointment

The High Court today questioned the legality of appointing Prof Farzana Islam as vice chancellor of Jahangirnagar University (JU).

The court also issued a rule asking the respondents to explain in a week why the appointment of Prof Farzana should not be declared illegal.

The JU, its vice chancellor and pro-vice chancellor, secretary and deputy secretary to the higher education division of the Education Ministry, who issued the appointment notification, have been made respondents to the rule.

The bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md Salim came up with the rule after hearing a writ petition jointly filed by JU former VC Sharif Enamul Kabir and Its Drama department teacher Prof Lutfar Rahman.

They filed the petition challenging the legality of appointmentof Farzana Islam as VC of the university.

In the petition they said, according to the JU act-1973, a three-member VC panel had to be nominated through the votes of its senate members for appointing its VC. But the education ministry appointed her on February 18 without nominating any VC panel.Therefore her appointment is illegal.