Dhaka University VC, 3 others face contempt of court rule

The High Court today issued a contempt of court rule 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 rule, the HC asked the respondents to explain in four weeks as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be brought against them for violating its 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.

Ayesha Mahmuda's lawyer Md Asrarul Hoque told The Daily Star that the HC on August 11, 2009 following a writ petition had cancelled the appointments of three associate professors of DU -- Dr Afroza Hossain, Dr Kamal Uddin and Mehjabin Hoque -- 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 the service.

The apex court, however, ordered the DU authorities to give seniority and relevant financial benefits to Ayesha Mahmuda.

The DU authorities have given the seniority 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.