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Punjabi University syndicate terminates services of ex-registrar’s son as asst prof
The syndicate has acted against Dilraj Singh, assistant professor in distance education, on the basis of Supreme Court judgment, which has not granted validity to a MTech degree earned through distance education.
Patiala After being given ₹90 crore as a special grant to bail itself out from a financial mess and improve its administration in the state’s budget, Punjabi University is now moving towards better compliance.
The varsity syndicate has terminated the services of Dilraj Singh, assistant professor in distance education, on the basis of Supreme Court judgment, which has not granted validity to a MTech degree earned through distance education. Dilraj is son of former registrar of the university and was appointed in 2010. The vice-chancellor has signed the minutes of the syndicate proceedings, which were released on Wednesday.
In addition, the university has formed a three-member committee to examine the case of teachers recruited on forged caste certificate. A committee of the university has already recommended action against such teachers by terming them ineligible.
Student union leader Harvinder Singh Sandhu had pointed to the issue of Dilraj and other illegally-appointed teachers.
“The government has given us enough funds. Now, we are duty-bound to run the university. The guilty will face action and those supporting such elements are working against the university. The message from the government is clear that guilty should be punished,” said a university functionary, on the condition of anonymity.
Dilraj had completed his MTech in information technology through distance education from the Institute of Advanced Studies in Education (IASE), Rajasthan, in 2005 with 81%. He was recruited as assistant professor in the university in 2010, while his father was the registrar.
In 2017, while deciding a petition on technical degrees awarded through the distance education mode, the Supreme Court had directed that degrees of the students, who had pursued engineering in academic sessions between 2001-2005 from four deemed universities, including the IASE, stood suspended.
Dilraj moved the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking the quashing of the public notice issued by All-India Council of Technical Education on December 2, 2017, regarding suspension of degrees on the basis of the SC order. In December 2018, the high court dismissed Dilraj’s petition stating that, “There is no merit in the petition and the issue raised by the petitioner has already been discussed by the SC, which granted no relief in similar petitions.”
Student leader Sandhu expressed thanks to chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh for acting against the guilty. “The government has given the grant to revive the university, and not to pay salaries to ineligible recruits. I hope honest faculty and non-teaching staff also welcome the decision,” he added. The present registrar of the university, Devinder Singh, could not be contacted for comments.
