Drop inquiries, and I resign as V-C: Ahluwalia
The suspended vice-chancellor of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University (SGGSWU), Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, who had earlier petitioned the Punjab and Haryana high court challenging the action against him, now wants to tender his resignation, provided the university management quashes all inquiries pending against him.
The suspended vice-chancellor of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University (SGGSWU), Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, who had earlier petitioned the Punjab and Haryana high court challenging the action against him, now wants to tender his resignation, provided the university management quashes all inquiries pending against him.
Ahluwalia, a former civil services officer who had taken over as vice-chancellor of the Fatehgarh Sahib university on June 6, 2008, was placed under suspension on July 31 this year on charges of financial irregularities among other charges.
During the resumed hearing of his petition on Wednesday, Ahluwalia's counsel informed the division bench of acting chief justice Jasbir Singh and justice Rakesh Kumar Jain that his client was now not interested in serving the university and wanted to put in his papers if he was provided all retirement benefits and all pending inquiries against him were closed.
However, the bench questioned how ongoing inquiries could be closed. The university's counsel argued that the probes were on a number of complaints and said that Ahluwalia was "lying and putting false allegations against the authorities". The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), under whose aegis the university is run, said that, "complete rules for the university are yet to be framed".
The SGPC has hired a private firm to audit accounts for Ahluwalia's tenure, and the preliminary report claimed to have validated the allegations of irregularities.
Ahluwalia has alleged in his petition that he was suspended since he had refused to comply with the directions issued by SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar of filing a favourable reply in the HC on a public interest litigation that challenges 92 appointments made by the-then acting-VC Gurnek Singh when Ahluwalia, who was injured in an attack, was off work. Ahluwalia has also sought an inquiry by an "outside agency" into the university's affairs.
The case has been adjourned till September 5.
'Backdoor' appointments: HC seeks details
The HC bench on Wednesday also heard the public interest litigation alleging mass "backdoor appointments" in the university from August 2011 to February 2012 by the-then acting vice-chancellor Dr Gurnek Singh, who was in charge when Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia was recuperating from gunshot injuries that he suffered in an attack. The court directed the university to file a detailed affidavit stating the selection criteria and salary structure of the appointments.
The petitioner, Manjit Singh Kamboj of SAS Nagar, has alleged that Dr Gurnek Singh, at the behest of SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar, who is the university's chancellor, appointed people closely associated with them without even advertising the posts.