EDUCATION

UGC questions PU on asst registrar’s selection norms
Chitleen K. Sethi
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 7
Pending a decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, while the advertisements inviting applications for the post of assistant registrar, Panjab University have been cancelled by the Vice-Chancellor on March 27, 2001, he has been asked by the University Grants Commission in a letter dated April 18, 2001, to comment why its recruitment norms are not being followed for selecting assistant registrars.

Although there is a vast difference between the recruitment rules laid down by the UGC and those being followed by the university, sources say that the university has a clear and rather well-laid policy as far as the recruitment rules of deputy registrar and assistant registrar is concerned.

According to well-placed sources in the university, the recruitment rules followed by the university for selection of assistant registrar and deputy registrar are laid down in the university Calendar and are being followed as such. ‘‘There is no doubt that the UGC has laid down its own rules for these posts, these set of rules have not been either discussed in the Syndicate nor decided by the Senate and thus have not been accepted to be used by our university.’’

A representation by the Youth for India to the Chancellor, Panjab University, however, states that ‘‘the forwarding letter to the UGC notification of December 24, 1998, clearly enforces implementation of the notification with immediate effect.’’ Moreover, although the said notification has been accepted in toto the posts of the deputy registrar and assistant registrar have been different in the sense that the grades they have are the ones of the Punjab Government as a result the recruitment rules for them stay on the pattern of the Punjab Government, says a PU Fellow.

The qualifications laid down by the UGC in its notification of December 24, 1998, are rather simple. These state, "Good academic record plus master's degree with at least 55 per cent marks or its equivalent grade of B in the UGC seven-point scale." (The UGC's seven-point scale refers to B as having a grade of 3.5 to 4.49 which is equivalent to a percentage of 55 to 64.)

Compare this with the qualifications available for the post laid down by the university. The essential ones include a master's degree or an LLB of a recognised university or its equivalent qualification; for superintendent/PA or persons holding equivalent post in the administrative staff of Panjab University with the following qualifications/experience: 10 years service in the existing post (irrespective of the qualifications prescribed); three years service in the existing post with BA being the minimum qualifications provided the total service as assistant stenographer or equivalent or higher post is not less than 15 years; five years service in the existing post in the case of matriculates provided the total service as assistant stenographer or equivalent and higher post is not less than 17 years.

These qualifications do not just allow candidates who have secured less than 55 per cent marks in MA to get in but also there is no mention at all of a good academic record which means that the candidate ought to have a minimum second class at the graduation level. Then the university mentions an LLB degree as being equivalent to a masters degree.

Lobbying for PU Registrar’s post
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 7
Talks and politicising is already on in Panjab University by those vying for the post of the Registrar which might fall vacant in October this year.

Although in accordance with the rules of the university, the term of the Registrar can be extended by another four years, sources, however, state that the present incumbent, Mr Paramjit Singh, is likely to face stiff competition before he is given extension in service.

Another important post which falls vacant in October is that of the Dean College Development Council when the present incumbent, Dr Deepak Manmohan Singh, retires. Dr Deepak has been asked to continue as no one was selected during an interview held for the same, some time back.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Order on disability quota cut quashed
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 7
Quashing orders passed by the Chief Controller of Defence Accounts (CCDA) pension reducing an ex-Army officer’s percentage of disability against the opinion of the medical board, Mr Justice R.L. Anand of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today observed that the respondent, “while sitting on a chair, had formulated a unilateral opinion having no relevance in the eyes of law”.

In his petition against the Union of India and other respondents, Capt Harbhajan Singh (retd) had earlier sought the quashing of the CCDA’s orders which had unilaterally reduced his disability percentage to less than 20 percent. His counsel, Bhim Sen Sehgal, had also asked for benefits of the disability pension along with interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum.

Pronouncing the orders, Mr Justice Anand directed the respondents to release the benefits of disability pension to the petitioner with effect from April 9, 1997, within three months from receiving the order’s copy.

The Judge asserted: “Several times it has been observed by the court that any opinion formulated by the CCDA (P) at the back of the petitioner is not binding upon him because earlier the Medical Board, constituted by the Central Government, had formulated the opinion about the disability of the petitioner.... In these circumstances, I allow the writ petition by the quashing the impugned orders”.

Detained mill employees freed

Our Legal Correspondent adds: Mr Baldev Arora, Warrant Officer appointed by Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar of the High Court, on a habeas corpus petition filed by Mr Sumeet Kamboj, proprietor of Kamboj Brothers Rice Mills, Focal Point, Ghuviya, (Ferozepore), got eight workers of the rice mill released. They were allegedly detained by the police at the rice mill and two of them at Sadar police station Ghuviya.

The petitioner submitted that he had some business transactions with one Vijay Kumar Nagpal and he had to pay Rs 4 lakh to Mr Nagpal, but the police had detained his employees, on the premises of the mill. It was also submitted that the police was not allowing them to work and even to move a truck-loaded with rice out of the mill and the mill had been locked from inside.

Warrant Officer Baldev Arora, in his report, had submitted that he raided the rice mill on May 4 and found police personnel including ASI Raj Singh, ASI Baldev Singh, Head Constable Davinder Singh constable Kasturi Lal and two others in plain clothes at the mill. He called the detainees by name and they all told him that they were not being allowed to get out and their movements had been restrained by the police.

The police personnel could not justify how they entered the mill and detained the employees.

Judgement reserved

A Division Bench of the High Court comprising Mr Justice Amarbir Singh Gill and Mr Justice V.S. Aggarwal today reserved judgement on a writ petition challenging the decision of the Haryana Service Selection Commission.

It was contended by the petitioner Mr Jawahar Lal Goyal and others, working as ad hoc lecturers in government schools in Haryana, that the requirement of passing the objective type test and the provision of counting the marks obtained by the candidates for the final selection amounted to amending the statutory rules since the rules did not provide for any such examination. The power to amend the rules was vested with the legislature or the Governor of the state and the Staff Selection Commission had no power to add a new qualification.

CULTURE

Moral value-based cultural function
Our Correspondent

Bal Vikas children perform a skit at a function organised by the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation at the Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh on Monday. — A Tribune photograph