Dinesh Singh’s controversial tenure as DU V-C to end today

Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh demits office on Wednesday after presiding over what is being described as a controversial tenure during which he introduced Four-Year Undergraduate Programme and was accused of financial and administrative irregularities.

Much of the goodwill, he generated in his initial days, was clouded by the controversial (FYUP) which had to be rolled back a year later following protests by the students and UGC’s intervention.

Singh also remains the only DU V-C in the 93-year-old history of the varsity to be issued a show-cause notice by the HRD Ministry. Though the selection panel is yet to formalise the appointment of new Vice Chancellor, the varsity’s Pro-Vice Chancellor Sudheesh Pachauri will be taking over as the acting V-C.

Singh courted various controversies, the prime of them being the introduction of the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP).

Though, he continues to maintain that he had all necessary approvals for the programme, the HRD Ministry kept him on hooks time and again, issuing a show-cause notice and even recommending his removal to the Visitor.

Singh appeared to be not in good terms with the present dispensation, though he insisted that he was under no political pressure. A fresh row erupted earlier this month when the HRD Ministry had sought to send him on compulsory leave over allegations of Singh’s alleged involvement in a conflict of interest in the appointment of former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan to the selection panel of Singh’s successor, despite him being an honorary professor.