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Mumbai University VC asked to keep off duties
Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao Thursday directed Mumbai University Vice
Chancellor Rajan Welukar to "abstain" from attending duty with immediate
effect.
The governor, in his capacity as the chancellor of the
158-year old institution, has ordered Pro Vice-Chancellor Naresh Chandra
to take over as officiating Vice-Chancellor till further orders.
A
Raj Bhavan communique said the chancellor took the decision following
recent orders passed by the Bombay High Court during the course of
petitions challenging the essential eligibility qualifications of
Welukar.
The high court recently directed a search committee to
reconsider the question of eligibility of Welukar for the post of vice
chancellor.
An official said that the "abstention" order has been
served on Welukar as the matter is still before the court and since
there is no provision under the laws to remove a vice chancellor except
if they flout certain criteria.
The governor's move has come as a
major setback to Welukar barely three months before his five-year
tenure was to end in the normal course in May 2015.
The recent high court order gave the governor two weeks to set up this search committee.
Its
decision will be placed before the court again next month and in case
Welukar is declared "eligible", the situation could change, the official
explained.
One of the petitioners challenging Welukar's
appointment has claimed that he was not a good academic as he had
secured second class in his M.Phil. examinations, his appointment was ad
hoc and he did not qualify to be a teacher under the University Act,
besides his appointment as teacher was made in September 1985 and not
1983, so he did not posses the minimum teaching experience.
Besides,
other issues like having minimum five research publications after PhD
in international peer-reviwed journals which should be reference for
studies in higher education as one of the criteria for being considered
for the post of VC is also a subject matter challenging Welukar's
appointment to the post.