HC stays order on calling Senate meeting in 7 days

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 13

Just about a week after Panjab University appealed against the Single Bench’s order on the continuation of Prof Emanual Nahar as the PU’s Dean Students’ Welfare (DSW), a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed the direction on convening Senate meeting in seven days.

As the appeal came up for resumed hearing before the Bench of Rakesh Kumar Jain and Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, Nahar’s counsel Gurminder Singh, Gurnoor Singh and R Kartikeya, submitted they had no objection if direction on convening a Senate meeting was stayed till further orders. “We order accordingly,” the Bench asserted.

Fixing the case for September 16 for further hearing, the Bench directed the appellant university to produce the original record of the August 22 Senate meeting. The Bench questioned the rival sides on the minutes of August 22 Senate meeting, when it was decided that the charge of the Dean Student Welfare (Men) will be held by Professor Jagat Bhushan. Prof Nahar had claimed that 48 Senators had favoured his continuation during the meeting before providing written information to the VC. Yet he was removed from the post.

Taking up Nahar’s plea, the Single Bench had earlier directed the varsity and other respondents to restore “status qua ante as it existed a day prior to the date of senate meeting on August 22 by forthwith allowing the petitioner to continue as the DSW”.