PU amends reply, MPhil circular irks asst profs

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 2

Panjab University (PU) has amended its reply in the High Court on December 20, 2017, admitting that assistant professors, who were enrolled in PhD before 2009, are eligible for non-compounded increments and shifted the blame on the Audit Department for objecting to the increments. But assistant professors are annoyed over a varsity circular dated December 21, 2017, allowing relief to only those who have done MPhil with coursework.

The circular said, “Candidates who have done coursework in MPhil are exempted from the Phd coursework and are eligible for increments.” The PU has cited the UGC notification dated May 5, 2016, for this circular.

But assistant professors are of the opinion that the award of degree to candidates enrolled prior to July 11, 2009, has to be governed by the provisions of the then existing regulations as per Clause 3 of the 4th amendment of the UGC published on July 11, 2016. Hence, they were not required to do coursework. They are calling for amendment in the varsity circular dated December 21, 2017.

“Irrespective of the circular, all those who have done PhD prior to the 2009 notification of the UGC fall in the same category, whether they have done MPhil or not. They all are eligible for PhD increments. Our argument is based on the ground that the varsity and audit should agree that we should be adjudged by old regulations,” said Assistant Professor Dinesh Kumar, who is one of the petitioners in the High Court against the PU.

“The varsity circular dated December 21, 2017, should be amended to benefit all,” said Assistant Professor Nitin Arora, who is also one of the petitioners in the High Court.

Earlier, the Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) too had raised the issue. It had pointed out that Guru Nanak Dev University, Central University of Jammu, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Directorate of Technical Education, Thiruvananthapuram, and Chandigarh Administration’s Higher Education Department have addressed the anomaly and awarded PhD increments to candidates registered before the UGC regulations of 2009.

The issue

More than 100 assistant professors of the PU are not getting increments. They went to the High Court against the PU in 2015. Those who have done PhDs before joining service are seeking five increments and those who did their doctorate while in service are seeking three increments. However, the PU in its affidavit, dated May 16, 2016, before the High Court, took a different view and said, “... it is evident from the UGC regulation that five non-compounded increments at entry-level or three non-compounded increments in service are admissible only in the case of those who have completed PhD in compliance with the UGC regulations 2010 (implemented from July 11, 2009, which says that coursework is required for increments).” The varsity had further told the court that a committee was formed in November 2015 under the Dean of University Instructions (DUI) which asked the petitioners to fill a compliance form which the assistant professors did not.  After protest from the assistant professors, the Syndicate resolved that it would withdraw its stand before the court and amended reply was filed on December 20, 2017.