DU tussle: VC can give and take back his powers, says EC nominee

DU tussle: VC can give and take back his powers, says EC nominee

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:27.10.2020

A week into the chaos at Delhi University, the camp supporting vicechancellor Yogesh Tyagi has refused to back down. Sources in the university said that P C Jha, registrar appointed by Tyagi while on leave, was planning to send letters to all members of the DU administration and college principals asking them to follow the institute’s statutes and laws “in an attempt to claim legitimacy”.

On Saturday, the Union education ministry had written to DU of being “in receipt of a letter from one P C Jha claiming to be registrar of the university. It is requested to ascertain who this person is and if he turns out to be an employee of DU, then strict action as per DU Act 1922 be undertaken.”

On Monday, Rajkumar Bhatia, nominee of the chancellor on DU’s Executive Council, called out the ministry for “intruding in a university matter”. Bhatia, who was appointed in August, said that Tyagi was in the right. “I think the vice-chancellor is legally correct in what he is doing. The only solution is that the VC and the ministry should find a solution together. But the ministry has intervened in this matter,” Bhatia asserted.

Geeta Bhatt, the pro vicechancellor also appointed by Tyagi, added that “all appointments by the VC are as per the statutes of the university”.

Bhatia further said that contrary to claims, the VC does not need a medical certificate to resume duties after leave. “I don’t think there is a rule for a VC who was unwell to show a medical certificate to come back to work. It is the VC who deputes his responsibilities to the pro vice-chancellor to run the university and he can very well take them back when he returns to work. The vice-chancellor can give and take back his powers.”

A letter from the ministry last week had stated that if Tyagi wanted to join office, he had to submit a medical fitness certificate.

Bhatia said, “Tyagi was back and had started to work after taking over charge. There was an EC meeting on October 10, which was called by pro VC PC Joshi. The VC, however, asked Joshi to postpone the meeting and the pro VC agreed and postponed it for 10 days. I was at that meeting and I heard him say this. If the VC’s authority was intact on October 10, how is it that his authority was then lost by October 21 on the claim that hadn’t submitted a medical certificate?”

This sequence was corroborated by EC elected member Rajesh Jha, who said that “the pro VC conveyed to us on October 10 that the VC said that the meeting should be convened 10 days later and that he would chair the meeting then.”

According to a senior university official, a letter from the ministry secretary on October 19 was addressed to Tyagi as VC. “This begs the question why just a few days later, the ministry changed its stance on Tyagi’s status. If these DU members are opposing the VC, then they are indulging in insubordination and strict action must be taken against them,” the official said.

RAJKUMAR BHATIA, CHANCELLOR'S NOMINEE, SAYS

I don’t think there is a rule for a VC who was unwell to show a medical certificate to come back to work. It is the VC who deputes his responsibilities to the pro vice-chancellor to run the university and he can very well take them back when he returns to work