New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, who is also Delhi University’s Visitor, has approved the Ministry of Education’s request to initiate an inquiry against Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi, over alleged administrative lapses, ThePrint has learnt.
A committee will be set up by Wednesday to look into complaints of alleged administrative lapses against the V-C, sources in the education ministry said.
The ministry had written to the Visitor Saturday, requesting him for permission to initiate an inquiry against Tyagi. The President’s office is understood to have agreed to the request, and the ministry received the approval late Tuesday, the sources said, adding that Tyagi will be sent on leave till the inquiry is pending.
“The President’s office has approved the proposal to initiate an inquiry against Tyagi. He will be on leave till the inquiry is pending,” a ministry source told ThePrint.
ThePrint reached the ministry spokesperson via email for an official comment but received no response till the time of publishing of this report.
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Probe into stalling appointments, ad hoc protest, Registrar crisis
The immediate trigger of the development appears to be the controversy that erupted last week when Tyagi made two appointments — the Registrar and pro-Vice Chancellor — despite being on medical leave.
Prof. P.C. Jha was appointed as Registrar on 21 October by Tyagi, and on the same day the university’s executive council (EC) was supposed to hold a meeting to appoint a registrar and financial officer following all statutes and provisions.
The EC went ahead with the meeting and, in turn, appointed Vikash Gupta as Registrar.
In response, Tyagi appointed Prof. Geeta Bhatt as pro-VC, even though Prof. P.C. Joshi had already been acting as the pro-VC. This gave rise to a power struggle within the university, which had two registrars and two pro-VCs in two days.
The education ministry quickly intervened and reversed Tyagi’s order, asking him to present a fitness certificate if he wanted to rejoin work.
However, after that, Jha wrote a letter to the ministry Friday stating that the decisions taken by Tyagi were “as per norms”. The ministry will also look into this action of Jha. According to sources, a show-cause notice has already been sent to him.
Tyagi, who is due to demit office in March 2021, was on a medical leave since July this year.
The V-C is being probed over “administrative lapses” that include stalling appointments and promotions in the university over the last five years of his tenure.
His handling of the ad hoc teachers’ protest last year is also under scanner.
In December 2019, around 4,500 ad hoc teachers, which comprise 40 per cent of the university’s workforce, had gathered at the Vice Chancellor’s office to press for their long pending demand for absorption as permanent faculty.
The ministry had to eventually intervene to solve the matter.
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