A row is brewing within Delhi University over its acceptance of a central decision for the transfer of University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) to Delhi government with its Executive Council (EC) members slamming the move as being "unilateral" and "undemocratic".
"The decision (was) communicated to the ministry on Nov. 25 and the Executive Council was informed about it on January 9. How can such a decision be taken without the council's consent?" said Abha Dev Habib, an EC member.
The HRD ministry had written to DU in October of last year reminding it of the decision on UCMS taken by the Union Cabinet in 2005 and asking it to complete the formalities within a month.
"The Cabinet in its meeting held on August 25, 2005, had taken a decision that Delhi government will make a proposal to Department of Secondary and Higher Education to take over UCMS (which will remain affiliated to DU), (to) enable the government to run both college and hospital on the pattern of Maulana Azad College and associated hospitals," the MHRD deputy secretary had said in the letter.
Thereafter, the DU registrar had written back to the ministry in November confirming that the varsity has decided to comply with the order.
"DU has noted that the ministry has indicated that the decision has to be implemented, and it will comply with this ... The university may kindly be informed of the modalities taken by government of Delhi to implement this decision... DU will subsequently take all steps necessary to implement the decision of the Cabinet," the DU registrar had said.
However, DU's EC in 2007 declined to comply with the decision and the matter of the transfer of UCMS to Delhi government had been lying unresolved since then.
The EC members are now saying they are irked over the "secret" manner in which the decision was taken and communicated to the government.
"The VC cannot use emergency powers to take such an important decision. The entire thing happened very secretly. The varsity didn't even seek the complete proposal from the government and even decided to comply with the modalities required by it," another EC member, Aditya Narain Mishra said.
Defending the decision, DU's Media Coordinator and Joint Dean of Welfare, Malay Neerav said, "The university didn't have much choice. It had to comply with the decision of the government.
"No EC meeting had taken place after the communication from the ministry, (but) the matter has been reported to the council now.
