Amritsar, June 20
Guru Nanak Dev University Vice-Chancellor Jai Rup Singh, in a missive to inquiry officer Principal Secretary B.C. Gupta, has categorically stated that the state government has no jurisdiction to initiate probe against him and hence it may be dropped/closed.
Instead of appearing before the inquiry officer at the Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh, the VC today attended his office here and interacted with a three-member delegation from the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy, USA.
The confidential letter of the Jai Rup Singh reads: “I am not supposed to submit myself to such an action which is not supported under the law or is not as per the terms and conditions of my appointment”.
According to sources, the VC had informed the Governor that he was open to any inquiry provided it was ordered after following the proper procedure. He said it was a question of the sanctity of the office of the VC. “I will stand by every signature put on any paper in my capacity as VC since I took over two years ago. I have nothing to conceal because all decisions were taken unanimously and in transparent manner”, he said.
Regarding the allegations, Jai Rup Singh reportedly told the Governor that former FDO Varinder Pal Sharma was signatory to most of the financial matters which were mentioned in the complaint.
The letter further reads: “In these circumstances, taking cognisance of the complaint of Valtoha, which is motivated, false, frivolous and baseless, and appointing an inquiry officer, is clearly without jurisdiction and a breach of the GNDU Act”.
He said the appointing authority of the VC is the chancellor who has appointed him for a period of three years. Under the law, the chancellor alone determines his conditions of
service.
He said similar complaints, under the signatures of Varinder Pal Sharma, were moved against him to the Punjab Governor (also chancellor of the university), who had sought comments on those complaints. The comments on those complaints with all supporting records/documents were sent. “So far I have not received any expression of dissatisfaction with the replies/comments to those complaints from the chancellor”, he said.
The VC, in his complaint, alleged that Valtoha, the complainant, is a thick friend of Sharma and it seemed that it was at the instance of Sharma that MLA has moved the same complaints against him under his signatures of which cognisance has been taken by the government without asking him to offer his comments thereon.
Under the GNDU Act, under which I have been appointed, does not contemplate or empower the government to conduct any such disciplinary or other inquiry against the VC, he said.
However, the VC told the inquiry officer that he had gone through the complaint carefully and all allegations mentioned therein had already been replied to the chancellor from time to time and these are within chancellor’s knowledge/consideration.
“Therefore, in view of the above, it is respectfully submitted that since the matter is already under consideration of the chancellor, the state government has no jurisdiction to initiate any such inquiry against him,” he added.
