On Thursday, notices were issued by the Sindh High Court (SHC) to the provincial authorities directing them to reply to a petition filed by the owners of private schools against the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Ordinance, 2020.
The two-judge bench chaired by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar asked the official respondents to reply to the petition by the next hearing scheduled for June 3. They also rejected a plea by the petitioners to stop the provincial government from taking any strong action against them over not following its orders with regards to the 20% fee cut.
The counsel for the petitioners stated before the bench that the Sindh government has made it compulsory for private schools to collect 80% of the total monthly fee and failed to consider the financial impact of this on schools. He pleaded with the bench to declare this 20% reduction null and void.
Last week, the Corona Emergency Relief Ordinance, 2020 was approved by Sindh Governor Imran Ismail; it is aimed at providing relief to the citizens amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
