Pressure on SKU to stop appointment process of 29 assistant professors

Charges levelled against the administration baseless, says Deputy Registrar

ANANTAPUR: Pressure on the administration of Sri Krishnadevaraya University (SKU) here is learnt to be mounting for cancelling the process that had taken place so far as part of the appointment of 29 assistant professors, allegedly with violations of norms.

The authorities concerned were reliably exercising to prepare a report to be presented to the government by misleading the facts in the issue. Half of the Executive Council members were also said to have suggested the authorities including the Vice Chancellor to come out of the slushy issue honourably by cancelling the process, but in vain.

In a clarification sent to The Hindu, Deputy Registrar and Officer on Special Duty of the university N. Ravindranath claimed that the charges being levelled against the administration were baseless. He, however, failed to justify the claims with necessary facts. On the approval for roster points fixed against the 29 posts, he did not clarify whether the university had taken approval of the SC, ST and BC departments and the EC, as changes were effected in the roster points mentioned against 20 posts in the notifications issued in February 2009 against the notification issued in February 2007.

He claimed that EC approval was there for the notification of February 2007. But, he failed to clarify about the approval for changes in the allocation of posts to different categories. To cite an instance, a post in adult education was allotted to OC in 2007 but it was allotted to SC in 2009. Similarly, a post in business management was allotted to SC in 2007 but was changed to BC-A in 2009. Such a list is quite long.

Eligibility

Eligibility criterion prescribed by the UGC for selection of assistant professors in different subjects was also allegedly subverted by the university. For example, a candidate with Ph.D in distance education mode was short-listed for selection in biotechnology department against a candidate with regular Ph.D and better academic and teaching record.

Similarly, for a post in computer sciences department, a candidate with MBA and Ph.D was reliably short-listed against a candidate with MCA and Ph.D. The latter also has five-year teaching experience as a teaching assistant in the university itself.

The authorities appear to be trying to cover up the irregularities in the guise of High Court verdict of February 2008 in which it was stated that university was at liberty to issue fresh notifications for filling 29 posts. But, it was not mentioned anywhere in the judgment that established norms in the procedure and process of selection could be subverted.

EC approval

Authoritative sources told The Hindu that the EC approval was also not there for approaching the Advocate General for arguing on behalf of the university in the petitions filed by a few aspirants questioning the arbitrary selection process. A few candidates who went to the court last time against the regularisation of 8 assistant professor posts illegally in 2008 were also learnt to have been short-listed for selection now as part of rapprochement. Meanwhile, Registrar of the university G.H. Philip, who was directed by the Chairman of AP State Council of Higher Education K.C. Reddy and Principal Secretary of Higher Education Suresh Chanda to appear before them with all records pertaining to the selection process did not proceed to Hyderabad for the meeting. He was learnt to have been summoned back by the university authorities mid-way on Monday night and the Vice Chancellor was said to have been to Hyderabad to meet the authorities.

he official however, fails to support the claims with necessary facts.