Delhi govt orders legal proceedings against DU over governing bodies in funded colleges

The role of governing bodies includes taking all decisions for the smooth functioning of a college, such as the appointment of teaching and non-teaching staff.

Education minister Manish Sisodia on Monday ordered the directorate of higher education to initiate legal proceedings against Delhi University for not responding to correspondence over the formation of governing bodies (GBs) in colleges partially or fully-funded by the Delhi government .

A barricaded entry to the Arts faculty lawn as the university remains closed due to coronavirus outbreak, at Delhi University, in New Delhi, India (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

This is the first time the Delhi government is initiating legal proceedings against the central varsity.

The role of governing bodies includes taking all decisions for the smooth functioning of a college, such as the appointment of teaching and non-teaching staff.

The 10-member governing bodies in these colleges have people nominated by both the university and the Delhi government. For over a year now, the Delhi government and the university have been engaged in a tussle over the formation of GBs in 28 colleges.

In the order issued on Monday, Sisodia said the university had not sent a complete panel of names to the colleges concerned despite reminders to forward the names of six Delhi government nominees.

On March 13 this year, DU’s executive council recommended sending these names back to the state government for reconsideration. A week later, the government said these six names were to be continued. On May 13, the university forwarded a list of nominees to colleges, except the six names in contention.

“..Despite repeated reminders directing the University of Delhi to send the six names of nominees of Delhi government to the concerned colleges, namely Lakshmibai College, Kalindi College, Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Aditi College, Maharishi Valmiki College of Education, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, the university has not sent a complete panel of names to the concerned colleges,” Sisodia wrote in Monday’s order.

“Not just this, a few of these colleges have initiated the process of the election of the chairperson even in the absence of a complete panel. This seems to indicate a conspiracy to cover up corruption in these colleges. Since DU has not responded to the repeated correspondence of the Delhi government, the Directorate of Higher Education should move legal proceedings against the University of Delhi,” deputy CM ordered.

The tenure of the GBs in 28 Delhi government colleges ended last year and these have not been reconstituted since. “Colleges are functioning with truncated governing bodies since March 2019,” the order read.

Two months ago, on May 26, Sisodia had written to vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi, alleging that the university was deliberately delaying the formation of GBs in 28 Delhi government-funded colleges to shield corrupt officials.

The vice-chancellor could not be contacted despite attempts.

DU Dean of Colleges Balaram Pani said, “Out of 140 names, the university cleared 134. Only six names are facing certain objections from some quarters. When these were forwarded to the government for reconsideration, the government sent back the names and then the Covid-19 crisis struck. No EC meeting could be held thereafter. If the names have to be passed, it will be through the EC, which has the power to take a call on the names.”

Pratyush Vatsala, principal of Lakshmibai College, said, “The university had already forwarded us the names of the panel except for one name that was dropped. The Delhi government nominee had approached court, asking for a stay on the elections and the court directed that we could conduct the GB elections to ensure day-to-day functioning is not affected.”