Executive Council overlooks formal complaint, terminates services of two petitioners
GANGTOK, 16 March: In news arriving late this evening, the Sikkim University Executive Council, an emergency meeting of which was reportedly convened in New Delhi today, directed the Registrar to discontinue the services of two Assistant Professors on ground of misconduct. The two are among the six Assistant Professors who had petitioned the Executive Council with a formal complaint alleging irregularities in the Sikkim University recruitment process.
Responding to the latest development, one of the terminated Assistant Professors, Rajendra Prasad, said, “Instead of addressing the formal complaint and listening to both parties the EC has discontinued the services of two of the petitioners on grounds of misconduct. This is violation of the natural law of justice, where our position was not addressed.”
Interestingly, the services of two of the petitioners were not extended when their contract period ended last month, and now this latest development. Interestingly, Mr. Prasad adds that although the move was shocking, it was not unexpected. “The signs were already there because our salaries for the month of February have not been credited till date without assigning any reason,” he informs.
Six Assistant Professors of SU, it may be recalled, had approached the Executive Council on 27 February challenging the appointment of the selection panels solely by the VC when the Sikkim University Act clearly stipulates the involvement of the Executive Council in this process. The new Executive Council was only on 22 February, after most of the interviews had been conducted and the selection panels formalised.
They argue that the VC has done so by exercising his “emergency powers”, highlighting further that an Office Memorandum of the Secondary Education & Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, clearly stipulates that the VC “should not” exercise his emergency powers for “Routine matters like creation of teaching and academic posts, appointment to the said posts, finalizing recruitment procedures etc.” and that these “should invariably be placed before the authorities ordinarily empowered to take decisions in such cases”.
The protesting faculty members are convinced that the VC violated this Office Memorandum [which conveys explicit directions of the President of India who is the Visitor of all Central Universities], when he finalised the recruitment procedures by himself instead of allowing the Executive Council which is “authority ordinarily empowered” a role in it.
The protesting faculty members allege that the selection interviews for 16 of the 20 academic departments of the University were intentionally timed for a period when the University had neither an Executive Council nor an Academic Council in place, allowing the VC a free hand on the entire process despite clear guidelines against such conduct.
The petition marked to the Executive Council points out that while the posts were created in 2008 and eventually advertised in April 2010, selection interviews were not held until 2012, after both, the Executive and the Academic [in August 2011] Councils had demitted office.
The Sikkim University Act stipulated that the selection committees to recruit faculty members include nominees of the Executive Council selected from a panel of names [“for their knowledge of, or interest in, the subject with which the post is concerned”] recommended by the Academic Council. This, the petition contends, has not happened in the present recruitment process with the selection panel appointed by the VC solely by himself since there were no required Councils in office at the time.
This, the VC did, the petitioners are convinced, so that he could favour some candidates while expelling several internal candidates he had personal problems with. The six faculty members had demanded that the Executive Council, in light of the arguments placed, cancel the recruitment process which has already taken place and stay the ongoing recruitment process, re-notify the recruitment advertisement and restore the services of all contractual teachers till new appointments are done. The Council, it now appears, decided to ignore the complaint and respond with termination letters instead.
What happened to MP Lama's big talk about transparency and institutional development? Is this how institutions develop?
ReplyDeleteIs he the representation of the Gorkhaland political class from across the border in Darjeeling (paranoid, dictatorial), in the educational system?
Those who live by such systems, die by them, remember not so long ago a Mr Ghising?
Shame Lama, Shame!!!!!!!! Why so panicked???? Give right answer to the question.... Why r u targeting people personally??? Remember the end of every autocratic leaders.. I feel pity for you.......... Emergency power in recruitment, undesirable political/administrative power to shut others mouth....... Poor fellow....
ReplyDeleteThese allegations and counter allegations is bound to happen in a University system. Its sad that the EC has reacted with a termination, but then the unslected ones could not have assumed that it is their right to get selected just coz thye have been around for sometime!!! Is there a clause of such kind any where, to go to petetion only after they dont get selected doesnt stand for them too as it makes them appear like party poppers, who go an disturb when things dont go according to what they had expected !!! It simply means that positions cannot be taken for granted and theat one has to prove oneself unendingly and unerringly!!! And any EC will support its VC and not the other way round and the problems for most VC will arise from the faulty staff always rather than the administration!!!! i really dont understand where has Ghising come into the scene, politics should be best left to people who understand its mechanisms!!!!
ReplyDelete^^^^ and you do understand politics?
ReplyDeleteThat is why you keep going on about contract to permanent position, which if you have half the brains, you appear to think you have, is not the point.
The Question, dear !!!!, is about the violation of rules by MP Lama in conducting recruitment, which is a routine matter, under emergency provisions.
Conducted, while both the EC and AC had finished its office. So the VC and remember, the VC does not = University, should specify why, recruitment was conducted under Emergency powers of the VC (what was the emergency), especially, when UGC granted the posts in 2008, the advertisements were taken out in 2010, when both the EC and AC were in office.
So what was the need of this very honorable man to delay the interviews during the period when there was no EC and AC. Perhaps, So that he could do what he wanted. I say, perhaps, cause he thinks, he is the University, owns it.
The termination of service, just reflects on the intolerance and vindictiveness of the man.
The strategy, honey, is called bluff and bluster, especially, when you are caught with your pants down.
How Ghising, fits in all this, I hope you dont want me to enumerate it, considering, you claim to have the expertise that determines, politics should be best left to ....etc.
Hamro Manchey, made his professional climb, precisely on those specious grounds, claiming, he knows what was good for the innocent Hill Folks.
uummmmm.... u sure are getting vitriolic!!! no where in the above note claims that the writer understnds politics...so calm down.... if u don't know then be informed that Lama has been recruiting people he best likes and has some connection to him or his place of origin.....it would be fool hardy of him to have taken the emergency clause, cos he already did and had been doing as he pleased!!! and of course to go outside the releam of this discussion and have your questions answered , it would be better to barge into his office and demand that he give you the answers....that's the only solution coz neither I nor you understand the workings of an opportunistic mind, we are simply sitting here at our computers and working under assumptions, and if u do get the answers then do let us know....its bothering every one desperately...may be a print out of above note will help u in the process!! and who says he's Hamro manchey....if u think he's one then he isn't...he is one called 'teesta paari" that means across the teesta!!!!
DeleteDelyed reactionfrom others does not justify illegal work by VC.We outsiders were not aware about all these.Emergency power for recruitment is illegal.trying 2 stop others by terminating from job is again illegal.nothing 2 argue abt it.
ReplyDeleteI thinks every one needs to go and read the conduct rules for a person on govt service. and Lama should read the emergency clause properly and the EC and AC their powers attributed to them under the SU act!!!
ReplyDelete