Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 22
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion to Panjab University and other respondents on a petition alleging that the proposed committee slated to replace the Senate would comprise representatives of the ruling political party. The petitioners, seven former senators, were demanding senate elections.
Among other things, the petitioners claimed that certain candidates owing allegiance to the ruling political dispensation, apprehending unsuccessful contest, wanted Senate to be abolished and replaced by the committee.
Petitioners' contention
According to the petitioners' counsel, R Kartikeya, the agenda was being further supported by some 30 former employees/officers of the university, who appeared to be looking for post-retirement rehabilitations and had already been tipped to be part of the proposed committee.
Taking up the matter, Justice Fateh Deep Singh of the High Court also fixed January 12 as the next date of hearing in the matter. The petitioners, Prof Keshav Malhotra and others, through counsel R Kartikeya, submitted they had reasons to believe that the candidates owing allegiance to the ruling political dispensation initially pressurised the university administration and their political bosses to defer the Senate elections to avoid an unsuccessful contest. "They had now started another agenda for abolishing the Senate and to replace it by a committee which would comprise representatives of the ruling political party as the committee would be nominated by the office of Chancellor, through the MHA".
Kartikeya added the agenda was being further supported by some 30 former employees/officers of the university, who appeared to be looking for post-retirement rehabilitations and had already been tipped to be part of the proposed committee.
Their objective to abolish the Senate had been openly advocated from time to time as their illegal actions were overruled by the Senate and Syndicate. Some of them even went to the extent of describing the members of the Senate as "vultures".
"In furtherance of this agenda, the petitioners have reasons to believe that they have been frequently corresponding with the office of the Chancellor and have also sent a draft for abolishing the Senate," Kartikeya added.
He further submitted the Senate was the varsity's basic and fundamental body, which could not be replaced "on account of political malice and failure of certain individuals to successfully contest elections".
The varsity governance over the years had been balanced with the presence of the Senate, which adequately represented all individuals concerned and faculties. The agenda to take over the university through political-executive action would be completely unwarranted.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2WREu4B
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