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Setia’s claims misleading: Chandigarh on PEC director’s plea in HC against relieving orders
In the plea, PEC director Baldev Setia has challenged Chandigarh administration’s May 16 notification whereby he has been relieved of the post from June 3, the day he attains 62 years of age
The UT administration has told Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) that Punjab Engineering College (PEC) director Baldev Setia’s claims in the petition filed against his relieving orders are “misleading”.
“..averments taken in the present writ petition are misleading and material facts have either been concealed or misquoted,” UT’s senior standing counsel Amit Jhanji told a bench presided over by justice Sanjay Vashisth.
In the plea, Setia has challenged the UT administration’s May 16 notification whereby he has been relieved of the post from June 3, the day he attains 62 years of age.
Setia, a professor (civil engineering) from NIT Kurukshetra, was appointed the PEC director in August 2021 for five years. His relieving orders were issued on May 16 with effect from June 3 as the retirement age, as per PEC’s Memorandum of Association (MOA), is 62.
As per Setia, the Centre had issued a notification in March 2022 wherein the retirement age of teaching faculty was raised to 65 years and this notification has been adopted by the UT administration.
The plea said the board of governors of PEC had enhanced the retirement age of faculty to 65 years and had also made a recommendation to the UT administration on October 30, 2023, to increase the retirement age of the director to 65 years. However, UT has not amended the MoA or taken any action on the recommendation, it says.
The plea sought that the May 16 order be quashed and UT be directed to amend the MoA, increasing the date of retirement of director to 65 years.
The high court while fixing the matter for further hearing on June 3 asked the UT to file its response and further directed to respond why the relieving order should not be stayed.
