RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Dec.2: In a landmark judgement, the Jharkhand High Court put a check in giving charge of principal of a college to juniors despite the presence of seniors in the same college.
Justice S.N.Pathak passed the order on November 30 directing the state and concerned authority to do the needful to give the charge of Principal of Bokaro Steel City College to an associate professor Asit Kumar Tewary, who was deprived of the position following order of the vice chancellor of Binod Bihari Mahto Koylanchal University (BBMKU) to give charge to a assistant professor 14 years junior to Tewary, A.K.Maji.
A copy of the order in possession of Lagatar24.com suggests that the court has given time of only two weeks to comply with the order, pointing out that the associate professor is due to retire by the end of this month.
The court while passing the order observed that the ‘ad hoc appointment/ in- charge basis appointment is depreciated by this court. In several orders, this court has held that Incharge/Ad hoc appointments cannot be permitted to be continued for a long time and even in such appointments, merit and seniority has to be considered and the same cannot be done dehors the Rules.’
With the observation the court also gave direction to the state and concerned authority to ‘stop appointment on In-charge/Ad hoc basis and go for regular appointment, so that chaos is not created in the state. Favouritism and nepotism in such appointments cannot be ruled out and should be given a go bye. The act of the University is not praise worthy. Section 10(14) does not confirm the absolute right to the vice chancellor for making appointments of juniors on adhoc or In-charge Basis.’
Tewary joined as lecturer on January 20, 1982 in the department of commerce in J.J.College, Jhumri Tilaiya. Later on, in compliance with the notification of Ranchi University he joined Bokaro Steel City College on February 6, 1983. Since then he has been continuing in college. He became associate professor on January 20, 1992.
A.K.Maji, 14-year junior to the petitioner, was appointed as Principal in-charge of Bokaro Steel City Bokaro, ignoring the fact that Tewary being the senior most teacher of the same college was handed over the charge of the same college on February 1, 2021 by the then Principal at the time of his superannuation.
A senior teacher welcomed the order saying it is the result of ‘ silence’ of Raj Bhawan in the matter of universities of the state that such a situation is coming. Not only Binod Bihari Mahto Koyalanchal University, such a practice is continuing in the majority of universities of the state. As far as I know in several colleges of Sido Kanhu Murmu University, juniors have been appointed principal in-charge despite the presence of many senior and experienced teachers in the same college.
“If the Raj Bhawan had paid proper attention to the functioning of the university in accordance with Acts and statutes such a situation would have never come,” the teacher said, expressing his concern over the interference of the high court in the matter of universities of the state.
