1. Kh. Muhammad Nasim, J. Since all these petitions have been filed against a common judgment of the High Court Dated 22.11.2024 and involve identical legal and factual propositions, hence, these are being decided through this consolidated judgment.
2. 2.The dispute in the present lis is regarding the appointment to the post of Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, in the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Under the University Statutes, the Dean of each faculty is to be appointed by the Chancellor on the recommendation of the Vice Chancellor from amongst the three senior-most Professors in the faculty for a term of three years, with eligibility for re-appointment. On 08.09.2023, Professor Dr. Abdul Qadir Khan was appointed as Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Subsequently, on 03.10.2023, Professor Dr. Javaid Iqbal Khan filed a writ petition before the High Court, asserting that he was the senior-most professor in the faculty and had only two years remaining in his retirement. He contended that the appointment of Professor Dr. Abdul Qadir Khan was unlawful and sought its annulment, requesting his own appointment as Dean based on seniority. Additionally, on 27.10.2023, Professor Dr. Javaid Iqbal Khan filed another writ petition (No. 2999/2023), challenging one sided inquiry dated 11.11.2010 and an order passed by the authorized officer on 24.02.2017, seeking their annulment. While these petitions were pending for adjudication, on 15.08.2024, Professor Dr. Abdul Qadir Khan was deputed to Allama Iqbal Open University, and the post of Dean became vacant.
3. Subsequently, on 21.08.2024, the Vice Chancellor forwarded a panel of three Professors i.e., Professor Dr. Javaid Iqbal Khan, Professor Dr. Nazneen Habib, and Professor Dr. Sameena Sabir for appointment as Dean. However, in the same letter, the Vice Chancellor specifically recommended for the appointment of Professor Dr. Nazneen Habib. Nevertheless, the Worthy Chancellor approved the name of Prof. Dr. Sameena Sabir for appointment as Dean. On 13.09.2024, Professor Dr. Nazneen Habibi filed a Writ Petition Bearing No. 2348/2024 before the High Court, challenging the approval for appointment of Professor Dr. Sameena Sabir as Dean. She contended that the Worthy Chancellor had made "he approval in disregard of the Vice Chancellor's recommendation and sought the annulment of Professor Dr. Sameena Sabir's appointment, praying for her own appointment in accordance with the Vice Chancellor's recommendation. The other two Writ Petitions No. 2857 and 2999 filed by Professor Dr. Sardar Javaid Iqbal Khan were already pending adjudication and the learned High Court consolidated all the three writ petitions and decided the matter through the impugned judgment dated 22.11.2024 in the following manner: "23. Consequently, the petition No. 2348/2024 titled "Prof Dr. Naznain Habib vs. University of AJ&K" stands disposed of with the direction to the respondents to reinitiate the matter of appointment against the post of Dean, strictly in accordance with the scheme of the University Statute as per order of seniority and finalize the matter within 02 months. In Writ Petition No. 2999/2023, the petitioner is seemingly re-agitating the matter previously decided. Petitioner has failed to challenge the decision of competent authority qua declaring him non-suitable for any administrative post in the University;