CJP suspends Faisalabad Medical College Vice Chancellor in fee hike case

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar suspended Faisalabad Medical College Vice Chancellor Dr Fareed Zafar and issued a contempt of court notice against him.

While hearing the suo moto case of fee hike in private medical colleges on Wednesday, the chief justice observed that how could anyone dare to lie before the court, it appears that the vice-chancellor has never seen a judge.

The court has also summoned Punjab governor’s son in the next hearing.

The directives were issued after a lawyer informed the two-member bench hearing the case that when she complained about the massive fee hike by a medical college, she received threatening calls from owners of medical colleges and son of Punjab governor. On hearing this, the chief justice remarked that he will see if the Constitution allows him to summon the Punjab governor or not.

He then proceeded to summon the son of the governor. 

In today’s hearing, owners and chief executives of private medical colleges appeared before the Supreme Court Lahore registry, except the representatives of Fatima Memorial Medical College.

The chief justice observed that he came to know every medical college has its own merit, adding that he was told before that fees as much as Rs 642,000 are being charged to students, but today he has been informed that even more than 0.9 million rupees are being taken by medical colleges.

The chief justice ordered to shift the medical fee hike case to the Supreme Court.

He remarked that the Supreme Court will decide the procedure and free structure of the medical colleges all over the country, and the owners will be bound to follow the directives.

In Tuesday's hearing, the CJP barred admission in all private medical colleges countrywide.

Chief Justice Nisar observed that medical colleges were being run on rooftops and garages, adding that the court should be told about the structure of such colleges.

He remarked that "although we are producing doctors, we don’t know whether our tool is correct or not."

The chief justice also remarked that clean drinking water case will be heard simultaneously with that of private medical colleges’ fees.