EDUCATION

MDU restrained from promoting librarian
Our correspondent

Rohtak, June 4
The Additional District Judge, Mr Shiva Sharma, has restrained Maharshi Dayanand University from promoting Mr Ajit Singh Siwatch, Assistant Librarian, as Deputy Librarian under the Career Advancement Scheme.

Accepting the civil appeal filed by Mr Krishna Dhull and six other assistant librarians of the university, the Additional District Judge observed, “With all its fears and all its tears, our country saw the crimson dawn of Independence with the hope that rule of law would be the ruling passion. But even more than five decades after Independence, the lot of the man on the street has not changed. Arbitrary exercise of power has razed to the ground high hopes that we all cherished and aspired for in free India.”

The factual matrix of this case is not much in dispute. The appellants and Mr Siwatch are working as assistant librarians in Maharshi Dayanand University. Mr Siwatch is the juniormost among the contestants. He improved his qualifications and obtained a Ph D degree in management and resultantly requested the university to promote him as Deputy Librarian under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS).

The university favourably considered Mr Siwatch’s case and posted his matter for appropriate directions before the Executive Council of the university. Mr Krishna Dhull and other assistant librarians, apprehending promotion of their junior and his placement over and above them, filed a suit for declaration and prayed for a decree to the effect that Mr Siwatch was not eligible for promotion as Deputy Librarian and that the proposed act of the university was illegal, arbitrary and against the principles of natural justice.

The appellants argued that the Career Advancement Scheme was applicable to the teachers as also librarians earlier but after December 8, 2000, this scheme was no longer applicable to the librarians. It was also pleaded that Mr Siwatch had not improved his qualifications in the field in which he was working with the university but in another field and therefore he could not have been said to improve his qualifications for the purpose of CAS.

After hearing counsel for the parties, the trial court dismissed the application. Dissatisfied with the impugned order, the appellants filed a civil appeal in the court of the Additional District Judge.

The Additional District Judge, Mr Shiva Sharma, said Mr Siwatch was junior to the appellants and his placement in a supervisory or senior capacity over and above the appellants would naturally create bitterness and bad blood. “Mr Siwatch is not eligible at all and the university is trying to push through his case by catapulting away all norms”, the order said.

Mr Shiva Sharma said, “ The court should interfere in the administrative matters of autonomous bodies beyond dispute. But in this case what the university is proposing to do is without sanction of law and is altogether unwarranted and a classic example of arbitrary exercise of power, which is complete antithesis of rule of law. An essential postulate of rule of law is absence of arbitrary exercise of power. Rule of law is a dynamic concept which even the plenary power of Parliament cannot reach to amend.”

CAMPUS
DU comes alive as students get into 
admission mode
Tarun Gill

New Delhi, June 4
It’s that time of the year when Delhi University campus comes alive. With less than a day left before the Delhi University admission forms are made available, the rush of students from all parts of the country, struggling to find a place in Delhi University, is quite evident.

Prospective students have already started planning for the day.

From their 12th standard mark sheets to character certificates, students need to be well equipped to sail through the admission process.

“I remember that my patience was put to a test, just to collect the admission form last year. This year, for my brother, we are well prepared to escape that endless queue. We will be prepared with all the formalities,’’ says Mohit, a concerned brother. Interestingly, many of these students have been visiting the university campus quite often, trying to know the people who could be of some help to them.

“I have been going to the campus for the last fifteen days just to get acquainted with the admission clerks and all the other important officials,’’ says Parbhat, a prospective student of DU.

The scene in the South Campus is also brimming. Students from the North-East have already started flooding the Satya Niketan area, the hub of all paying guest accommodation in South Campus.

“We are running short of rooms. Students are coming from all corners of India. But the Satya Niketan area is dominated by students from the North-East region,” says a house owner at Satya Niketan, who also provides paying guest facilities to the students coming from outside the national Capital.

If some students are inventing ways to get admission to their favourite college, some touts are assuring admissions by ‘other means’.

However, Dr Hema Raghavan, Dean, Student Welfare, Delhi University warns the students not to fall in their trap. “Get rid of all the touts who assure admission, for admission in DU is solely on the basis of performance,’’ she says.

CBSE results of PMT declared
Our Correspondent

New Delhi, June 4
The CBSE today declared the results of the Pre-Medical/Dental tests conducted on April 28 at 406 centres across the country.

The CBSE announced that 1634 candidates have cleared the exam and 1,144 candidates have been put in the wait list. In all 2,13,889 candidates had taken the exam.

The results and marks obtained by the candidates in AIPMT, 2002 have been posted on the CBSE website , while the college-wise vacancies are available at www.mohfw.nic.in.

The CBSE said that C.H.E.B. Building, on Kotla Road (Opposite Mata Sundari College in the Capital would be the venue for the counselling of those students who have been selected through the exam. The schedule for the rounds of allotment by personal appearance would remain the same as contained in the information bulletin and application form of AIPMT 2002. The 2,778 candidates put in merit/wait list should report for the allotment of seat on the day(s) given in the information bulletin. 

Case against henna-maker
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, June 4
The drug control authorities today filed a case in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate here against the owner of a factory allegedly found to be manufacturing henna powder of known brands illegally.

The fake unit manufacturing spurious henna was unearthed first by the officials on June 4, 2001, when a team led by the Assistant State Drug Controller (ASDC), Mr G. L. Singhal, conducted a raid on the factory located at Bhadshahpur village. The factory, identified as Ankit Exports, was allegedly found to be preparing `Kali Mehndi’ brand illegally.

The unit was again raided on January 1 this year. The officials detected that the factory was now producing henna under the brand name of `Amir’.

An FIR was also lodged by the police on a complaint by the brand owner. It is learnt that the accused has been booked in three separate cases. The officials today filed a criminal complaint in the court of the CJM, Mr Y.S. Rathore. The complaint has been admitted.