LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has quashed a case of alleged fraud against University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan and former registrar Chaudhry Muhammad Hussain lodged by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE).

Advocate Abid Saqi, the counsel for the VC, argued that former vice chancellor Dr Muhammad Ashraf registered the FIR against the petitioner for mala fide and ulterior motives.

He said the purpose of the FIR was to coerce the petitioner to withdraw a petition from the court challenging the appointment of the respondent/Dr Ashraf as the VC of the university.

He further stated that the NAB had already investigated the same allegations and closed the inquiry, which was later initiated by the ACE in sheer violation of the law.

Allowing the petition of Dr Iqrar and the former registrar, Justice Asjad Javed Ghural observed that the entire proceedings against the petitioners were orchestrated by respondent Dr Ashraf with mala fide intention and ulterior motive, whose eligibility to hold the office of the VC being lower in merits, was challenged by the petitioner.

The judge noted that apparently an attempt was made to coerce the VC to lay his hand off for contesting his legitimate right for the post being on merit and unfortunately the convener of the probe committee extended full help to the respondent/former VC for achieving his ulterior goals.

The judge observed that the petitioners have been given a clean chit by the ACE in two consecutive investigations and a cancellation report has been prepared which was duly forwarded by the prosecution, but the trial court has been sitting over it for over 11 months.

In his verdict, Justice Ghural remarked that the petitioners could not be made shuttlecock to run from one court to the other merely on the grounds of the pendency of the cancellation report.

The judge allowed the petition and quashed the FIR registered by ACE Faisalabad under sections 409 (Criminal breach of trust), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (Using as genuine a forged document) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of PPC.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2024