Karachi, The Sindh High Court has directed the principal of SM Law College, along with other relevant parties, to appear in court with a report addressing the issue of female students being denied the opportunity to take exams. This directive follows a constitutional petition filed by advocate Khurram Lakhani, representing the affected students, who were admitted to the college in 2022 but have been excluded from the upcoming exams due to enrollment discrepancies.

According to the PASBAN Democratic Party, the issue came to light when students of SM Law College approached Altaf Shakoor, Chairman of the party, claiming that despite being admitted to the college in 2022, paying college and examination fees, and attending regular classes for a year, they were facing barriers to taking their exams. The core of the problem lies in the enrollment list issued by Karachi University, which includes only 100 students, excluding 50 others from the exams.

Altaf Shakoor, in response to the students’ concerns, assured them of legal assistance and justice. He directed advocate Khurram Lakhani to file a constitutional petition in the Sindh High Court on behalf of the affected students, including Fatima Quaid, a student of SM Law College. The first hearing of the petition, numbered 5623/2023, took place on November 22, where Acting Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmad Abbasi and Justice Abdul Mubeen Lakho ordered the issuance of the notice.

The court’s intervention in this matter underscores the seriousness of the situation and the need for an immediate resolution to ensure that all students have fair access to their academic assessments. The upcoming court session on November 29 is expected to shed more light on the circumstances leading to this exclusion and the measures that will be taken to address the concerns of the affected students.