LAHORE - The Lahore High Court has removed Principal Punjab University Law College Shazia Qureshi - recently married to the Vice-Chancellor Punjab University - from the post, adjudicating that her appointment was the outcome of nepotism and in violation of rules. The office of principal is declared vacant due to illegal and unlawful appointment made by her husband VC Mujahid Kamran. Now the post should be filled through a fresh appointment as per law, and for the intermediary period, a person possessing requisite eligibility should be given the additional charge of the office, the court wrote in its detailed judgment. Justice Hafiz Tariq Nasim passed this order on the writ petition of Ammara Akbar Advocate, who was seeking admission in the LLM classes, and challenging the appointment of principal law college. No doubt, Shazia Qureshi is foreign qualified and an assistant professor in the college, but according to the Punjab University Act 1973 and the Calendar, the principal should only be appointed by the syndicate on the VCs recommendation from amongst three senior most professors of the department. In the light of these unambiguous provisions of law, I am of the view that the VC has arbitrarily exercised his powers to promote nepotism, favouritism and non-transparency, says the judgment. The judge also disagreed with Shazias counsel that her appointment was a stopgap arrangement due to non-availability of professors/associate professors, ruling that despite vacant posts no serious attempt was made to fill such posts. These posts were advertised in December 2008 but no progress had been made in this regard that clearly suggests that in case of appointment of a professor, Shazia would not be able to retain her position. This novel way was adopted just to let Shazia continue as Principal despite lacking eligibility criteria. Ten months have lapsed since she was given charge of principal, but no progress has been made in the entire exercise of filling posts of professors and associate professors. The judge further observed that under the rules one dean was given additional charge of Dean Law College but he was not allowed to look after affairs of college only to accommodate Shazia. She is in lower pedestal than these two posts (principal and dean), but was handed over prestigious institution only to please her after she had tied knot with VC. The marriage is their personal affair and it is not the duty of the court to comment on it. But the fact remains the same that such like favouritism, nepotism and illegal exercise of powers and that too in a colourable way allows public at large to raise fingers on this institution which was run by respected in the past, the judge said. As far as the plea of petitioner-advocate regarding her admission in LLM is concerned the judge rejected her pray observing that Graduate Studies Committee comprising four members- two of them LHC judges, had recommended that she did not meet the merit.