LHC Orders Islamia University to issue withheld LLB degree

Lahore: The Lahore High Court has ordered the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) to immediately issue the degree, transcript, and clearance certificate to a law graduate whose academic documents were withheld on the instructions of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) over allegations of misusing the Ehsaas Scholarship.

Justice Syed Ahsan Raza Kazmi ruled that the university’s decision to withhold the student’s documents was unlawful, stating that IUB, not being a party to the scholarship contract, had no legal authority to act on HEC’s directions in this matter.

The case was brought by petitioner Zainul Abiden, who was accused of deceitfully securing the Ehsaas Scholarship by misrepresenting his family’s financial condition. The HEC claimed that Abiden failed to provide a pension slip for his father, and accused him of falsely stating that his father was a labourer earning Rs12,000 per month before allegedly deserting the family.

Despite these claims, the court found that the university acted beyond its legal powers by withholding the degree. Justice Kazmi maintained that only HEC could pursue recovery of the scholarship amount, and that too through proper legal channels such as filing a civil suit.

The judge wrote, “It is trite law that a statutory authority must ensure its actions are aligned with principles of justice and legal propriety. The university is not privy to the agreement between the petitioner and HEC, and therefore its actions are without legal sanction.”

The court further restrained the HEC from making any recovery attempts without due legal process and stressed that the responsibility for verifying applicants’ eligibility lies with the awarding authority.

In a broader observation, Justice Kazmi flagged serious concerns about the overall administration of the Ehsaas Scholarship Programme. He noted that, according to official records, none of the 47 students from IUB who received the scholarship met the required eligibility criteria, indicating significant flaws in the programme’s oversight.

A copy of the judgment has been sent to the HEC chairman, with the court urging a thorough review of the verification process to uphold the integrity of financial aid initiatives designed for underprivileged students.