Suspended university registrar moves court

The suspended registrar of University of Mumbai, K Venkatramani, has moved the Bombay High Court challenging the Governor’s order, issued last week, which holds him responsible for irregularities in the senate elections.

The suspended registrar of University of Mumbai, K Venkatramani, has moved the Bombay High Court challenging the Governor’s order, issued last week, which holds him responsible for irregularities in the senate elections.

HT Image

Following the order, the acting vice-chancellor of the university, Chandra Krishnamurthy, suspended Venkatramani last week. Governor K. Sankaranarayanan is the chancellor of the university.

The order came because of the nomination of Subhash Athavale, a librarian at CHM College, to the senate — a governing body of the university.

The University Act says only teachers with five years’ teaching experience can be nominated to the senate.

University sources said Venkatramani in his petition has stated that the decision to consider a librarian equivalent to a teacher was taken by the then acting vice-chancellor, A.D. Sawant.

While the Bombay University and College Teacher’s Union (BUCTU) had raised objections to his nomination, Sawant, according to the petition, asked the registrar to consider a librarian on par with a teacher.

The petition also states that in the 2000-2005 senate elections, BUCTU had nominated a Khalsa College librarian, M.O. John, who won the election and joined the senate.

Venkatramani has also challenged the manner in which he was asked to leave. According to sources, he was neither served a show-cause notice nor was an inquiry committee set up as prescribed by the Act.

“He was only served with a suspension order and a charge sheet," said a university official.

Krishnamurthy, when contacted, said she had “followed the chancellor’s orders.”