PIL in High Court: Central University of Gujarat appointments dilute quality, undermine excellence

By Dr Chhagan Lal*
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was admitted in the Gujarat High Court against what it calls large-scale illegal appointments being made in the Central University of Gujarat (CUG), Gandhinagar, a public funded national institution.
The PIL, filed by the Anamat Samarthan Samiti, has alleged that appointments of senior teachers in CUG were being made based on personal contact and consideration of the vice-chancellor rather than on issuance of advertisement and open selection based on merit through duly constituted selection committee, which is seriously compromising academic standards, diluting the quality of teachers and undermining excellence associated with central universities.
It claims that Prof SA Bari, vice-chancellor, has illegally appointed his wife Dr Rachel K Bari as Professor of English Studies, Dr Tamishraha Bagchi as Professor of Nano Sciences, Dr JPN Mishra as Professor of Life Sciences, and Dr Muttayya Koganuramath as Professor of Library Science without any advertisement, scrutiny committee, duly constituted selection committee, violating the provision of the Central Universities Act, 2009, and prevailing Universities Grants Commission (UGC) regulations/norms of faculty selections.
Similarly, PIL says, he had appointed Prof SL Hiremath as registrar in gross violation of the provision of Government of India recruitment rules for appointment by deputation. It also states that Prof N Rajaram was appointed as Professor of Sociology in CUG in totally unfair, unresonable and illegal way.
The plea further submits that current recruitment process at the University is non-transparent and arbitrary as it involves non-disclosure of the names of candidates called for interview in public domain, inviting for interview those candidates who are otherwise declared not eligible by scrutiny committee, lack of uniformity of scrutiny criteria across subjects and conversion of a number of reserved posts into open posts.
It cites complaints from a number of candidates who belonged to reserved category relating to malpractices, illegalities and irregularities in the recruitment process at CUG.
It pleads that "if the recruitment process is completed in the way in which it is being continued, it will cause irreparable loss to various meritorious and eligible persons from not only reserved categories of scheduled castes/ scheduled tribes/ other backward classes (SC/ST/OBC) but also general category, and only those who are influential or kith and kin of the management of the University and its officials or persons at the highest level in the party in power will get employment."
The plea prays for setting up of high level committee to conduct inquiry into the recruitment process conducted by Vice-Chancellor Prof SA Bari and cancelation of all illegal appointments made by him. Further, it prays that Prof Bari be restrained from in any manner participating in the entire recruitment process pursuant to the public advertisement of February,2016 till it is complete in all respect.
PIL details:
High Court of Gujarat writ petition (PIL) No 5 of 2017, represented for the Anamat Samarthan Samiti by Senior Advocate Mr Bharat T Rao; the names of the respondents are: Union of India; SA BARI; Central University of Gujarat; Prof N Rajaram; Dr Rachel K Bari; Prof JPN Mishra; Prof Tamishraha Bagchi; Prof Muttayya Koguanuramath; Prof SL Hirenmath.
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*Associate Professor and Head Department of Chemistry, HB Technical University, Kanpur