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Gorakhpur University V-C under the scanner over assistant professor appointments
The Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has taken a stance against him, highlighting alleged irregularities that occurred during his time in office.
GORAKHPUR Controversies have arisen during the final weeks of Professor Rajesh Singh’s tenure as Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of DDU University, putting him in a difficult position. The Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has taken a stance against him, highlighting alleged irregularities that occurred during his time in office.
Merely two weeks before the conclusion of Professor Rajesh Singh’s term as V-C of DDU Gorakhpur University on September 5th, the Allahabad High Court issued a notice to the University authorities, demanding clarification on various irregularities that took place during the appointment of Assistant Professors in the academic year 2021-2022. The Governor’s office similarly sent a fresh reminder to V-C Professor Rajesh Singh, requesting an explanation regarding the alleged irregularities in the appointment of 44 assistant professors.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the delay in submitting the explanation, Pankaj L Jani, the Special Executive Officer at the Governor’s office, noted that the initial letter on this matter was sent over a month ago.
Sourabh Gour, an official of ABVP, confirmed that the organisation had raised these concerns with the Governor’s office through memorandums. They combined these concerns with a demand to reverse the fee hikes for various courses. The university authorities had issued advertisements for the appointment of 44 assistant professors -- including 10 from the general category, 8 from the Other Backward class, 14 from SC and ST categories, and 12 from the Economically Weaker Section in 2021.
Two applicants for the assistant professor interviews -- Aditya Narayan Dixit and Indu Dhar Dubey -- had filed a complaint with the Governor and pointed out various irregularities in the appointment process. They levelled serious allegations against the university authorities for disregarding the provisions of the University Act.
In response to these complaints, the Governor’s office instructed the applicants to submit an affidavit in support of their grievances. On June 26th, the Executive Officer of the Governor’s office, Pankaj L Jani, requested an explanation from the VC’s office, which went unanswered for over a month.
Meanwhile, on June 28th, the executive council of DDU Gorakhpur University approved the appointment of 28 assistant professors. However, this decision was contested in the Allahabad High Court by Aditya Narayan Dixit and Indra Dhar Dubey. As a result, the court issued a notice to the university authorities regarding this matter.
