Ranchi, June 11: Putting an end to the seniority question regarding the charge of the post-graduate Hindi department of Ranchi University, the authorities have ruled in favour of Rita Shukla. She is the director of the department of journalism and mass communication at present.

The Hindi department remained without a head for over five months after the two-year term of Manju Jyotsna expired in December 2003.

Three teachers staked their claim for the post before the university referred the matter to the Raj Bhavan.

Besides Shukla, senior Hindi teachers Ravi Bhushan and Badri Prasad were the two other contenders for the post.

While Shukla’s appointment still needs to be notified, university sources said the Raj Bhavan has communicated its decision in favour of Shukla. University spokesperson S.S. Akhtar said the notification would be made in a couple of days.

Speaking on the delay in deciding the seniority issue, university sources said the authorities had kept the post in abeyance because they wanted to make Bhushan the head of the Hindi department.

However, they added, the biggest hurdle was that Bhushan’s service was not confirmed till date.

Sources pointed out that Bhushan had got himself transferred from Bhagalpur University on October 1, 1991, where he had joined as a lecturer, but his service was not confirmed. He was in the running for the post despite the technical glitch.

According to university sources, the Raj Bhavan had gone by a high court order dated June, 2, 1992, which had ruled that a teacher, whose service confirmation was awaited, could not be considered senior to his/her counterparts who had confirmation.

They also alleged that buckling under a senior university official’s pressure, the authorities had even accepted Bhushan’s claim and sought documents of his service confirmation and promotion as professor. However, Bhushan could not produce the documents.