Delhi high court tells Daulat Ram College to invite fresh pleas for hostel warden post

While directing that the entire appointment process should be completed within the month of April, the Delhi high court also directed the present matron Sushma Tandon, to vacate the two-room set that she has been occupying, once a warden is appointed.

Holding that the appointment of the hostel warden of Daulat Ram College was not made in accordance with procedures, the Delhi high court directed the principal of the college to issue a notice inviting fresh applications for the post in a timebound manner.

Delhi high court directed the principal of the college to issue a notice inviting fresh applications for the post in a timebound manner. (HT File Photo)

A bench of justice S Muralidhar and justice Sanjeev Narula directed the principal to issue the advertisement within a period of 10 days and not later than March 18. It clarified that the applications would be invited from teachers both residing on and off campus.

“The result is that neither the appointment of the appellant (Asha) nor that of Kavita Sharma (and her extensions) as warden of the hostel was validly made,” the court said.

Highlighting the lack of trust and co-ordination between the principal and the governing body (GB), the court on Wednesday also appointed two local commissioners — advocate Nandita Rao and advocate Shubham Mahajan — to inspect the hostel premises and interact with students to look into the allegations raised by students.

Taking note of news reports that appeared in Hindustan Times, detailing the protest by students over lack of proper facilities in the costliest hostel of Delhi University, the bench said, “......the court proposes to issue certain directions for the appointment of two local commissioners who will visit the hostel to interact with students, inspect the hostel premises, meet the members of the teaching staff, the governing body and prepare a report for the consideration of the court”.

The slew of directions came while hearing an appeal by Asha, associate professor, who had challenged the show cause notice issued to her by the GB asking her to explain the validity of her appointment as hostel warden.

Appearing for the petitioner, counsel Rajesh Banati, informed the court that students have been facing problems including lack of basic facilities owing to the tussle between the principal and the governing body.

While directing that the entire appointment process should be completed within the month of April, the court also directed the present matron Sushma Tandon, to vacate the two-room set that she has been occupying, once a warden is appointed. The court clarified that Kavita Sharma, the present warden, would hand over the charge to the newly appointed warden if she is not chosen again.