Selection panel row: DUTA accuses V-C of misleading HRD Ministry

Delhi University teachers on Thursday accused Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh of misleading the HRD Ministry regarding the selection panel for his successor, even as the outgoing VC maintained that he will not stay in office a day beyond his tenure.

Weeks before his tenure comes to an end, Singh has kicked up another storm with the HRD Ministry objecting to the nomination of former ISRO Chairman K Kasturirangan to the selection panel alleging conflict of interest.

“The V-C has not only misled the varsity’s Executive Council but also the Visitor and the MHRD with this brazen attempt to manipulate the constitution of the search committee,” said Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA), which has been up in arms against the V-C ever since he took over.

Singh, however, ruled out any conflict of interest and said Kasturirangan’s nomination despite him being an honorary professor is not “deliberate” but an oversight of the fact by the EC.

He also maintained that he had no intention of staying even an hour beyond his tenure and will demit office on October 28, whether or not the next V-C is appointed.

“The nomination of the members was discussed at length in the DU’s Executive Council. Somehow it (conflict of interest) seems to have escaped the attention of the Council and I don’t really know until I hear from the Ministry what is the exact issue,” he said.

“I am not going to stay a day or for that matter an hour beyond my tenure. If a V-C is not appointed till the time I retire, I will not be holding the charge even for time being.

“The university statutes have a provision that in absence of V-C, the pro Vice-Chancellor takes the charge. So he will assume the position if need be but not me,” he added.

The HRD Ministry is understood to have asked the President who is the varsity Visitor to direct Singh to proceed on compulsory leave but had to withdraw the request hours later apparently as Rasthrapati Bhavan was not inclined towards taking an action against the V-C as he had only a few weeks left in office.