Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Wednesday issued a contempt of court ruling against Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman, its former VC Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, and two others on charge of violating the Supreme Court directives over giving seniority and financial benefit to a teacher.
The two other respondents, against whom the HC also issued the rule, are DU’s Acting Registrar Prabir Kumar Sarkar and the then registrar Md Rezaur Rahman.
In the ruling, the HC asked the respondents to explain in four weeks as to why a contempt of court proceeding should not be initiated against them for violating SC directive.
The HC Bench of Justice Mamnoon Rahman and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman came up with the rule following a contempt of court petition filed by Professor Ayesha Mahmuda, a teacher of Psychology Department of Dhaka University.
Lawyer Md Asrarul Hoque who appeared in the court on behalf of Ayesha Mahmuda said the HC on August 11, 2009, following a writ petition cancelled the promotions of three DU teachers, Dr Afroza Hossain, Dr Kamal Uddin and Mehjabin Hoque, as associate professors as they did not have required qualifications.
The court also directed the DU authorities to promote Ayesha Mahmuda to the post of associate professor and to provide her relevant financial benefits and to submit a compliance report to the court in two months.
The Appellate Division on April 8, 2010 modified the HC verdict and allowed the DU authorities to keep Dr Afroza Hossain, Dr Kamal Uddin and Mehjabin Hoque in posts of Associate Professor.
The apex court, however, ordered the DU authorities to keep Ayesha Mahmuda in the first serial of the newly promoted associate professors and give her relevant financial benefits.
But the DU authorities have given the first serial and benefits to Dr Kamal Uddin instead of Ayesha Mahmuda in violation of the SC directives which is a contempt of court, lawyer Asrarul Hoque added. Then Ayesha filed a contempt of court petition with the High Court.
