Navale’s ouster from Pune’s STES welcome but better vigilance needed: activist Kumbhar
Sachin Shinde, a former faculty at STES engineering college termed the decision by charity commissioner as a half battle won.
Activists, teachers have welcomed Joint Charity Commissioner’s action of dismissing MN Navale from the post of president and trustee of Sinhgad Technical Education Society (STES) earlier this week. Joint Charity Commissioner Dilip M Deshmukh, dismissed Navale from the post on grounds of moral turpitude.
Welcoming the decision by the Charity commissioner, RTI Activist Vijay Kumbhar said, “Dismissal of MN Navale certainly has set a good precedent of actions against financial irregularities by educational institutions. However, if the charity commissioner had been more vigilant from the beginning, the financial problems with the STES staff members would have resolved much earlier.”
Also, STES is one example of colleges involved in such financial irregularities, however, if the charity commissionarate investigates further, there will be many more institutions involved in the irregularities of a similar kind, said Kumbhar.
The teaching and non-teaching staff at various colleges being run by STES had taken a non-cooperative stand against the society’s management after they failed to comply with their ultimatum to pay salaries pending for the past 16 months.
While the decision was hailed by STES staff, however, they reiterated the fact that salaries of the staff members are still pending.
Manisha Phauzdar, faculty at Sinhgad Pharmacy College said, “We welcome the decision to of charity commissioner to terminate Prof MN Navale. The reluctance of STES to cater to the predicaments of its staff members was painful for all of us, and with this judgement all the members are rejoiced. This decision explicitly states the fact that nobody is above the law.”
Sachin Shinde, a former faculty at STES engineering college termed the decision by charity commissioner as a half battle won.
He said, “While there is certainly a sense of happiness to witness the fact that Prof Navale was dismissed, however, the fact remains the same that many staff members of STES still await their final payments.”
As long as the salaries of the members are not remitted, we will be left with no option but to continue our fight against the STES management in our pursuit of seeking justice, added Shinde.