Bombay high court raps University of Mumbai for not paying salary of its management institute director

The Bombay high court (HC) on Friday rapped the University of Mumbai (MU) for not releasing the salary of Satish Ratnaparkhi – the director of the varsity’s Alkesh

The Bombay high court (HC) on Friday rapped the University of Mumbai (MU) for not releasing the salary of Satish Ratnaparkhi – the director of the varsity’s Alkesh Dinesh Mody Institute for Financial and Management Studies – despite the court order towards the disbursal.

HT Image

Justice SJ Kathawalla said he was “aghast” by the contemptuous conduct of MU and the fact that despite specific direction given by HC last year in December to allow Ratnaparkhi to continue as a director of the institute and pay his salary, “the university has fragrantly disregarded the direction and not paid him a single rupee till date.”

“It is an acknowledged and a well-recognised fact that the University of Mumbai is one of the oldest and premier universities of India, imparting education to millions of students over the years. It is incomprehensible to this court as to how an institute of such stature, which seeks to imbibe in its students, inter alia values of honesty, discipline and good governance, can justify breaching the order of this court,” justice Kathawalla said.

The dispute began last year on February 21, when MU registrar informed Ratnaparkhi that he had retired on the date, as he had completed 60 years of age. Ratnaparkhi then moved the college tribunal, challenging the order of retiring him before the due date. He said he was entitled to continue till 65 years of age, subject to a review on attaining 62 years of age. On September 20, the tribunal struck down the registrar’s order.

MU then moved HC to appeal against the tribunal’s order and sought a stay on it. However, HC not only refused to stay the tribunal order, but also directed MU to allow Ratnaparkhi to continue as director of the institute and continue to pay his salary.

Ratnaparkhi then filed a plea in the pending MU appeal, complaining that he was not paid his salary since long and his financial condition had started deteriorating day-by-day, as he had exhausted all his savings and it had become difficult for him to sustain any further.

MU replied to his plea stating his salary was stopped, as the university wanted to challenge the HC order of December 2019, but could not do so owing to the Covid-19 lockdown.

The excuse annoyed justice Kathawalla, who directed the university to deposit all the arrears of salary in Ratnaparkhi’s bank account by Tuesday and continue to pay him future salary by fifth of every month.