High Court stays Panjab University Syndicate members' election till February 28

Chandigarh, January 27

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed Panjab University Syndicate members’ election. The order will remain in force at least till February 28, the next date of hearing in the case.

The directions by Justice Rajbir Sehrawat came on a petition filed by Keshav Malhotra and other petitioners against the PU Chancellor and other respondents.

In their petition filed through senior advocate RS Cheema with counsel R Kartikeya, the petitioners submitted that they were duly declared elected by the PU-appointed returning officer as Senate members from the ‘faculty’ constituency. However, the university authorities did not issue the “necessary statutory notification” for declaring the petitioners elected.

The counsel for the respondents, on the other hand, pointed out that the election of the Senate members, including those from the `faculty’ constituency, was subject to the Chancellor’s approval under the statutory provision.

Some petitions preferred before the Chancellor regarding the election of ‘faculty’ constituency members, including the petitioners, had been entertained by him. Accordingly, the petitioners and other candidates had been issued show-cause notice by the Chancellor against their election. However, the petitioners had not filed a reply.

Responding to the submissions, the counsel for the petitioners submitted that they had received the notices, but copies of the petitions filed against them before the Chancellor had not been supplied.

Adjourning the hearing of the matter, Justice Sehrawat asserted: “In the meantime, the counsel for respondent–Chancellor shall supply copy of the petition, received against each of the petitioners by the Chancellor, to the respective petitioners within a period of one week. Thereafter, the petitioners will be at liberty to file their reply, if they deem it appropriate, within further 10 days. The counsel for the respondent has undertaken that the Chancellor shall decide the matter within a period of two weeks thereafter.”

Before parting with the order, Justice Sehrawat ordered that the election of the Syndicate members would remain stayed till the next date of hearing only, keeping in view the situation and as an ad interim measure.