MDU proceedings annulled
From Jatinder Sharma

ROHTAK, Dec 20 — The Haryana Governor and Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Mr Mahabir Prasad, today annulled the proceedings of the 141st meeting of the university’s Executive Council on the grounds that these were not in conformity with the provisions of the MDU Act and Statutes.

The Chancellor also rescinded the action taken on the said proceedings. The meeting of the Executive Council held at Chandigarh on July 9.

This is for the first time in the history of any university in this region that the entire proceedings of the Executive Council have been annulled by the Chancellor.

The meeting was mired in controversy as the agenda was not circulated 10 days in advance as required under the university rules. The venue of the meeting was changed at the last minute from Rohtak to Chandigarh as a result of which a large number of council members could not attend the meeting.

A complaint in this regard was addressed to the Chancellor by the then Financial Commissioner and Secretary (Education), Mr Vishnu Bhagwan, and the Financial Commissioner and Secretary (Finance), Mr A.N. Mathur, for declaring the meeting illegal and null and void ab initio and reconvene it after giving a notice of 10 days.

Dr Markandey Ahuja and Mr S.C. Arora, members of the council, submitted affidavits in support of their contentions that they did not attend the meeting while the Vice- Chancellor said both took part in approving 74 items and walked away when the next item was taken up.

The Chancellor, however, only took cognisance of the appointment of Mr Arora as a member of the council just a day prior to the holding of the meeting in gross violation of the provisions of the university statutes. (Mr Arora, Principal of the Baba Mastnath Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, was appointed Dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and consequently member of the council) by the Vice-Chancellor on July 8. The Vice-Chancellor has contested the charge, saying that the appointment of Mr Arora as Dean was legal as it was covered under Statute 19(1) read with Statute 18 (F) (1) (iii) and that this action of his has the further protection of Section 24 of the Maharshi Dayanand University Act, 1975.

The Chancellor, however, felt that as per the provisions of Statute 27 (A)(XII) read with Statute 26 (22), only one of the professors of the University Teaching Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences could be appointed Dean of Faculty at Pharmaceutical Sciences in terms of Statute 19(I).

Since Mr Arora was outside the cadre of professors, his appointment as member of the university’s council was void and illegal.

“As is evident from the record, the said action of the Vice-Chancellor in appointing Mr Arora as Dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and consequently as member of the council on July 8, just a day prior to the council’s meeting was wilful, deliberate and intentional”, the Chancellor said.

The presence of Mr Arora has also affected the very merit of the conduct of the meeting as his presence was used to complete the statutory quorum of minimum seven members as envisaged in Statute 11(3). “As such the said action of the Vice-Chancellor does not qualify to attract the protection of Section 24 of the MDU Act”, the Chancellor said.