HYDERABAD: The Sindh High Court has directed a suspended official of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Hyderabad to join an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) 2026 results, but restrained the inquiry committee from finalising its findings until the next hearing, due after two weeks.
The inquiry against him was ordered by the Universities and Boards (U&B) Department.
The SHC Constitutional Bench comprising Justice Adnanul Karim Memon and Justice Mohammad Jaffer Raza had passed theorder on Nov 2 on a petition filed by the suspended assistant controller of the board’s secret branch, Aijaz Kaka.
Advocate Ishrat Lohar, representing the petitioner, contended that his client was willing to join the inquiry but had reservations about certain members of the probe body.
According to the petitioner, he was suspended after the U&B Department constituted the committee on Oct 20. He said he had not approached the court to obstruct the investigation or claim immunity from it, but to ensure that the inquiry was conducted by impartial persons. He said the probe might be influenced by internal rivalries within the board.
He said BISE controller of examinations Shakeel Leghari and respondentorder on Nov 2 on a petition filed by the suspended assistant controller of the board’s secret branch, Aijaz Kaka.
Advocate Ishrat Lohar, representing the petitioner, contended that his client was willing to join the inquiry but had reservations about certain members of the probe body.
According to the petitioner, he was suspended after the U&B Department constituted the committee on Oct 20. He said he had not approached the court to obstruct the investigation or claim immunity from it, but to ensure that the inquiry was conducted by impartial persons. He said the probe might be influenced by internal rivalries within the board.
He said BISE controller of examinations Shakeel Leghari and respondentAmeer Fazal belonged to the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), indicating a similar institutional association, and he feared this might prejudice the inquiry.
His grievance, he said, was that no officer whose conduct or administrative decisions might be connected with the investigation should be allowed to influence its direction, findings or recommendations.
He also questioned the committee convener’s prior professional record in separate matters, which he said was supported by material. He said the committee had been formed without assessing potential institutional conflicts arising from its members’ professional association with the present controller and the university.
He said an inquiryshould examine the duties, responsibilities, access to records, decision-making powers and official roles of all officials concerned, and that it could not proceed on the assumption that the petitioner alone bore responsibility without identifying the relevant chain of administrative responsibility. He claimed the committee might rely on information supplied by the BISE controller or other officers without independently verifying it or examining the responsibility of each official involved.
He asked the court to declare the constitution of the inquiry a violation ofArticle 10-A of the Constitution and to hold that the appointment of the committee’s convener and one member was tainted with bias, as both belonged to the same institution.
The court issued notices to the respondents and the Sindh additional advocate general (AAG). The petition cites as respondents the inquiry committee chairperson, Dr Arbela Bhutto, vice chancellor of Shaheed Allah Bux University Jamshoro; committee members Ameer Fazal Awesi, additional secretary, U&B, Dr Nasrullah Pirzado, MUET registrar, and the BISE chairman.