HC seeks JNU's reply on VC power to finalise faculty postings

The Delhi High Court today sought the response of the Jawaharlal Nehru University on a plea alleging that its vice chancellor has 'arrogated' the power to finalise a panel of experts which deals with the faculty appointments.
Justice A K Pathak issued notice to the varsity and asked it to file a reply and posted the matter for further hearing on July 7.
The plea, filed by five faculty members of JNU, alleged that Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar has arrogated himself the power to make additions to the Panel of Experts, from which he would nominate experts to the Selection Committee for the purposes of faculty appointments.

The petitioners' counsel Vrinda Grover claimed that the UGC Regulation unambiguously and clearly provide that the VC shall have the power to only nominate experts to the Selection Committees from the approved data base of Panel of Experts.
"The VC has no authority under the law and rules to add any name to the said panel of experts or nominate to the Selection Committee a person not already listed as an expert in the Panel of Experts as approved by the Academic Council (AC) and Executive Council (EC)," the petition said.
The plea alleged that the VC arrogated the power to himself through a resolution passed in the EC meeting on November 22 last and a December 26 meeting of the AC.

"The Vice Chancellor, by usurping the power to add names beyond the approved list of Panel of Experts, is acting without the authority of law and in direct contravention of the aforesaid Statutes, Rules of the JNU Act and Ordinance," it alleged.
The petition was filed by faculty members, Bishnupriya Dutt, Jayati Ghosh, Ravi Srivastava, G Arunima and Ranjani Mazumdar.