SHC restrains private schools from increasing fee

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: A divisional bench of Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday restrained the private schools to enhance their fee by five percent and sought the replies from provincial government and schools management in this regard.

The divisional bench of SHC headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar took up the petition filed by more than one hundred parents against the increase in the school fee of two private schools.

The petition submitted in the court that management of two schools increased school fee in violation of the rules 10 to 13 of regulations concerning private schools. It also contested the admission fee of 100,000 in two private schools and prayed the court to stop this hike, which they termed as illegal and can’t afford due to limited income resources.

The petition made federal government, provincial government, Sindh Education Department and others respondents in the petition.

Restraining the management of two schools to increase the school fee, the bench ordered the schools management to receive the fee as per old structure. Court also issued notice to federal government for the income tax imposed on schools fee.

Bench ordered Sindh Government and management of private schools to submit their replies regarding the schools fee hike by September 07, 2018.

Meanwhile, a constitutional petition was filed in SHC against Faisal Vawda, who won NA-249 seat in the general election on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s ticket and sought to disqualify him for not meeting the requirements of Article 62 of the constitution.

This was the second constitutional petition against Vawda, which was filed by Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP)’s candidate Qadir Khan Mandokhel. Earlier, SHC ordered Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to stop issuance of victory notification of Vawda when Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N)’s candidate Shahbaz Sharif moved the court for recounting of the votes in this constituency.

Mandokhel petition submitted in the court that Vawda didn’t mention about any foreign account in his nomination papers and didn’t give money trail of his properties in UK, Dubai and Malaysia, which he declared as mortgaged ones.

Petition also stated that Vawda didn’t pay any income tax in 2015 despite possessing billion of rupees worth properties. Petition also contested the acceptance of Vawda nomination papers by Returning Officer, who rejected the application against Vawda on the ground the he surrendered his dual nationality.

There is no record of surrender of US nationality of Vawda in the record of RO, petition added.