The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday suspended Karachi University’s decision to cancel the degree of Islamabad High Court’s Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, halting any further action based on recommendations of the university syndicate and the unfair means committee.

During the hearing, Karachi University’s registrar, Professor Imran Siddiqui, appeared before the court and requested more time to file a response, saying the institution had received notice only two days ago.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that while the university may be allowed time to submit its reply, the court should suspend the revocation order in the meantime to prevent irreparable harm.

The bench observed that serious questions of fairness were involved, noting that any adverse action against the petitioner in the interim could cause damage that would be impossible to undo later.

“Whose responsibility will it be if the petitioner suffers losses that cannot be compensated?” the court remarked, adding that “a person’s lifelong work is at stake.”

The judges also questioned whether Justice Jahangiri had been given a fair hearing before the decision was made.

“When such matters are taken up decades later, the affected party must be called,” the court observed, stressing that judgments delivered without hearing all sides carried little weight.

“An ex parte judgment is not considered a good judgment,” the bench remarked.

The registrar told the court that he had recently been appointed and was unaware of the details of the decision. The bench responded that as a representative of the university, he was duty-bound to provide answers and accountability.

The SHC suspended the university’s decision to revoke the degree and restrained it from taking any further action against Justice Jahangiri until the next hearing. The matter has been adjourned until November 20.