DU panel meets to conduct periodic review of employees under CCS

The committee had its first meeting on Monday and is set to reconvene on July 10, amid severe criticism from DU professors.

Delhi University’s (DU) Executive Council (EC), in their May 23 meeting, had decided to constitute a committee to conduct periodic review of employees under Central Civil Services (CCS) Fundamental Rules (FR) 56 (j), as per a notification by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, Government of India.

DU panel meets to conduct periodic review of employees under CCS

The committee had its first meeting on Monday and is set to reconvene on July 10, amid severe criticism from DU professors.

“This notification pertains to the central government employees who are governed by CCS. Since the University employees are not governed by CCS, it cannot be applied in the University of Delhi. The said DoPT notification of periodic review has not even been forwarded by the nodal agencies like the Ministry of Education or the University Grants Commission (UGC),” said Rudrashish Chakraborty, associate professor of English, Kirori Mal College.

The CCS (CCA) rules, 1965, also known as the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) rules, govern the disciplinary proceedings and appeal processes for “civil servants in India”. These rules outline the procedures for penalties and handling appeals against those penalties, besides also addressing issues like suspension, inquiries and the rights of government employees during disciplinary actions, thus ensuring fairness and transparency during those proceedings.

Teachers expressed concern over the university administration’s haste to implement the same, and pointed out that DU had been established by an Act of Parliament and it has the autonomy to decide on the professional ethics of its employees.

“Hence adopting the CCS rules of periodic review for University employees not only over-rides the authority of the EC but also undermines the autonomy of the University,” several professors pointed out.

Chakraborty added, “The notification stipulates periodic review only for employees attaining 50 years of age or above, implying that only the senior employees or officers are subject to review. This barrier based on age defies logic and is an attempt to vitiate the professional space of the workplace.”

Mithuraaj Dhusiya, an elected EC member, in his note of concern submitted to the committee, mentioned, “It is pertinent to mention here that the University of Delhi has refused to adopt pro-employee notifications of the Central Government including the revised NPS (New Pension Scheme) 2021…the inordinate haste by the University administration to adopt the DoPT notification….without the required approval of MoE and UGC exposes its anti-employee character and suggests its malafide intention to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation for the University employees.”