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PAU V-C ‘illegally’ appointed, remove him: Punjab guv tells CM Mann
The Punjab governor, who is the chancellor of the PAU, said the government had appointed Gosal without following the norms of the University Grants Commission, or seeking his approval
Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on Tuesday asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann to remove Satbir Singh Gosal from the post of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) vice-chancellor, terming his appointment “totally illegal”.
The governor, who is the chancellor of the PAU, said the government had appointed Gosal without following the norms of the University Grants Commission, or seeking his (the chancellor’s) approval.
“Since Satbir Singh Gosal has been appointed V-C of PAU by the Punjab government, you are requested to remove the said V-C, who has been illegally appointed, without further delay,” Purohit wrote to the CM, directing that the V-C’s charge be handed over to the administrative secretary of the agriculture department.
Responding to the controversy, Gosal said, “The PAU registrar is the right person to comment on it. I have been appointed by the government, and will accept whatever it decides.”
PAU registrar Shammi Kapoor said, “We have not received any official communique yet. I cannot comment unless I receive an official confirmation about the letter being circulated on social media.”
Meanwhile, Punjab agriculture minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal termed the governor’s move “unconstitutional” and claimed that the vice-chancellor had been appointed by the PAU board. Accusing Purohit of acting at the behest of the BJP, he said, “The AAP government did not indulge in any illegality. The governor should have read the Act before sending such a communication.”
Dissonance between guv and CM
The governor’s diktat to the state government comes just a week after he refused to accept the state government’s choice for the post of vice-chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS). The state government had appointed cardiologist Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander for the post, but Purohit on October 11 rejected it, asking the state government to send a panel of three candidates for the selection of vice-chancellor.
The governor’s missive is the latest in a series of flashpoints between him and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The row between the governor and the state government began last month when Purohit withdrew his consent for a special session convened by Mann to table a motion of confidence.
The AAP government responded by calling a regular session, after which the governor sought the details of legislative business, escalating their differences. Mann and his cabinet ministers also publicly criticised the governor. Later, Purohit took exception to Mann’s absence from a reception held in honour of President Droupadi Murmu at the Raj Bhawan.
Who is Satbir Singh Gosal
A renowned biotechnologist, Gosal was appointed as the PAU V-C two months ago.Though his predecessor BS Dhillon had retired on June 30, 2021, the government did not appoint a regular V-C till until two months ago. In the interim, three senior bureaucrats were given additional charges of running the varsity.
Gosal, 67, pursued BSc at Panjab University, Chandigarh, and MSc and PhD in plant breeding at PAU. He carried out his postdoctoral research at the University of Nottingham and John Innes Centre, Norwich, England, while he underwent advanced training in bio-safety of genetically modified crops from DanForth Centre for Plant Science Research, St Louis and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC, USA.
Dr Gosal has served at PAU in different capacities, including head, department of biotechnology; founder-director of school of agricultural biotechnology; additional director of research (agriculture) and director of research, besides being a member of the PAU board of management between July 8, 2015 to July 26, 2021. In addition, he has served as a consultant FAO/IAEA, Vienna, Austria, to undertake tissue expert mission to Iraq during 1997; honorary member board of assessors, Australian Research Council, Canberra; reviewer for the R&D Project Proposals of Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, New Delhi; and president Punjab Academy of Sciences (2012-15).
Gosal has a total of 751 publications to his credit including 207 research papers in referred journals, three innovation publications, 135 papers in proceedings of conferences/training courses, 300 abstracts, 20 popular articles, nine TV/radio talks, 37 book chapters, two review articles, 22 research reports, five laboratory manuals and 11 books (nine published and two in pipeline).
A fellow of several societies Gosal is the recipient of the Award of Royal Society London’s Bursary (1983), Award of Rockefeller Foundation’s (USA) Career Fellowships 1993-2000, Lifetime Achievement Award by Punjab Academy of Sciences and distinction award by Society for the Promotion of Plant Science Research, Jaipur.
