Professor-teacher fired for drawing two salaries, moves HC

RESIGNS AS VIDYA SAHAYAK; VARSITY SACKS HIM FROM JOB

Professor-teacher fired for drawing two salaries, moves HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:  25.06.2020

A PhD in Chemistry, Chirag Patel moved the Gujarat high court after his university cancelled his designation of assistant professor because he was working at a primary school as a vidya sahayak and allegedly doing both jobs, professor and primary teacher, simultaneously.

Patel, the head of the chemistry department at Dr Indu Dayal Meshri College of Science and Technology in Patan, was facing the charge that while being designated an assistant professor with the Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, he took up the job of a primary teacher at Deodar town in Banaskantha. He was accused of drawing income from both sources. Now, he has neither of the jobs and moved the HC for restoration of his university designation and livelihood.

Patel was appointed to the Patan college in July 2013, and the university granted conditional approval of his designation as assistant professor for three years because he did not have a PhD. His designation was renewed for another three years in 2016. In January 2019, he obtained a doctorate and got the university designation unconditionally.

However, Patel also took the job of a primary teacher at a government school in Banaskantha in March 2017. It was only after a notice for absenteeism was published by the district education authority in September 2019, that he resigned the post. The college’s query about his second job was answered by Patel. But the university this March issued him a show-cause notice, asking why his position should not be cancelled for drawing two salaries from different sources simultaneously and duping the employers. The university on June 11 cancelled Patel’s designation, leading him to approach the HC through advocate Sudhanshu Jha.

In the HC, it was submitted that Patel opted for the government job because of job insecurity at the self-financed institute in Patan. He resigned immediately after the notice and deposited one month’s salary. The education department has not termed his job illegal or accused him of drawing money illegally from the government treasury. He held that the university authorities acted against him without giving him an opportunity to defend himself.

The HC refused to stay the university’s decision, but asked it to reply by June 29.