Ravenshaw University

Cuttack, Sept. 21: A public interest litigation (PIL) filed in Orissa High Court has sought direction for a probe into the recruitment of various faculties in Ravenshaw University in the past three years.

The petition has sought “an inquiry by the appropriate agency” on alleged irregularities and illegalities made in the recruitment of various faculties since November 2011.

The PIL, filed by the Committee for Legal Aid to Poor (Clap) has also sought the court’s direction to the university to revoke the advertisement issued by it on June 23 for recruitment of professors, readers and lecturers to fill up 140 vacant posts.

The petition was listed for hearing on September 16. The division bench of Chief Justice Amitava Roy and Justice B.R. Sarangi ordered for listing of the case “again next week for admission”.

Petitioner Clap executive president Bikash Das has accused the university vice-chancellor and registrar of abusing their power and authority.

According to the petition, the experience laid down for the post of reader “is incongruous” with the rules laid down by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

While the UGC prescribes eight-year teaching experience and/or research in academic position, the required teaching experience for reader has been reduced to five years in the advertisement.

“The reduction in teaching experience from eight to five years has been wilfully made by the vice-chancellor and the registrar to favour some applicants of their choice,” the petitioner said.

The petition alleged that persons not having either PhD or the National Eligibility Test (Net) qualification are appointed as teachers and programme officers are also asked to teach in undergraduate honours classes and postgraduate classes. “This not only makes huge wastage of public money, but also degenerates the standard of teaching and affects the future of the students,” the petition contends.

Regulations of the UGC have designated faculty positions as professor, associate professor and assistant professor, but Ravenshaw University still continues to designate teachers as professors, readers and lecturers.

Official sources said initially, 153 posts were sanctioned for the university which was formed out of Ravenshaw College by virtue of the Ravenshaw University Act, 2005. Of this, 26 posts were lying vacant when the state government sanctioned 114 more posts on June 22.

Subsequently, recruitment process had started for filling up 140 posts. In another development, the high court on August 11 directed the university to fill up the vacant posts “preferably within three months”.

The court had issued the order on a PIL seeking intervention against disorder in academic activities in the state-run universities due to shortage of teachers. One Dhirendranath Bhoi filed the PIL.