Court directs Sirsa university to finalise Law Dept Assistant Prof selection process

On February 24, the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU), Sirsa, to finalise the selection process for the posts of Assistant Professor in the Department of Law.

A petition in this regard was filed by a candidate who had applied for the post (General category) in response to an advertisement in 2018, and had been awaiting the final result after completing both the written test and the interview process.

According to the petition, the university had initiated the recruitment process for several faculty positions, including three posts of Assistant Professor.

The petitioner had scored 57.38 out of the total 80 marks in the written test, and had appeared for the interview in June 2018. However, the result of the selection process has not been declared yet.

The university explained before the court that the delay was due to a complaint filed by the then-Registrar of the university, claiming that the selection committee’s actions violated university regulations by excluding the Registrar from the process.

This complaint led to the Chancellor (also the Governor of Haryana) issuing a stay on the selection process, causing further delay.

The court found the university’s stance legally untenable, emphasising that there was no requirement under the University Act or UGC regulations for the Registrar to be a member of the selection committee.

The court also noted that the delay in the process had prejudiced the petitioner’s right to a timely decision.

As a result, the court directed the university to present the selection committee’s recommendations to the executive council (EC) in its next meeting and take a decision in two weeks.

The petitioner would be notified of the decision and has the right to challenge it in court, if needed.

Following the court’s orders, CDLU Registrar Dr Rajesh Bansal said a decision would be made in the next EC meeting, and the candidates would be informed of the result within two weeks.

Usually, the university holds three-four EC meetings every year. However, the last EC meeting took place on July 19, 2024.

Former Vice-Chancellor Ajmer Malik resigned in November 2024, and the university has not appointed a full-time VC yet. Currently, the additional charge of the VC is being handled by Dr Narsi Ram Bishnoi, Vice-Chancellor, GJU, Hisar.

The first EC meeting of this year was proposed to be held on January 27, 2025, but was postponed.

At present, university officials are unaware of when the next EC meeting is scheduled to take place.