LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday issued notice to the Punjab education secretary and sought his presence in person to inform the court why the private schools have increased the tuition fee and collected summer vacation fee in violation of the apex court’s orders.
An LHC bench was hearing a plea seeking directives for private schools not to collect excessive tuition fee. As per the petition, some private schools exorbitantly increased tuition fee in utter disregard for the orders of the apex court.
The court expressed displeasure over violation of the top court orders by the private schools regarding tuition fee, and summoned the Punjab education secretary and the chief executive officer (CEO) of a private school.
The Supreme Court in its judgment had ruled that private schools would charge the same fees as in January 2017.
More than 50pc raise without any justification
Earlier, the Punjab secretary for schools education department said the court that action was being taken against private schools for raising fee in violation of the Supreme Court orders. Secretary Muhammad Mahmood had further stated that the government had already taken cognizance of the issue.
Parents filed identical petitions submitting that the private schools have increased their dues by more than 50 percent without any justification.
They submitted that the increase implemented by the schools be set aside for being unlawful and the respondent department be ordered to take action against them.
On September 21, they had protest demonstrations against school fee increase and blatant defiance of the orders by the Supreme Court.
Notices to govt, police
Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem of the Lahore High Court on Monday issued notices to federal govt, Punjab police and Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan) to inquire how an FIR can be registered for the infringement of copyright and trade mark.
The Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan), not the police, has been vested with the jurisdiction to investigate the infringement of trademark and copyright not the police, said petitioner petitioners Shahid Iqbal and Hafiz Bilal through their counsel Sheraz Zaka.
He argued that an FIR registered against the petitioners should be quashed as under section 13 of Intellectual Property Organisation Act 2012 it is the Organisation that has been vested with the jurisdiction to hold such investigation.
He argued that police had no jurisdiction to investigate nor can cause any harassment. The judge issued notices to the respondents and adjourned the hearing for October 25.