Ensure maintenance of roster register in 4 weeks, HC tells MDU

Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak, February 12

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has categorically told the authorities of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, to ensure the maintenance of roster register for all categories of posts at the teaching departments since the inception of the university within four weeks.

An interim order in this regard was passed by High Court Judge Jaishree Thakur on January 31 while hearing a Civil Writ Petition (CWP 13734-2017) titled Mool Chand and Others Vs State of Haryana and Others.

“One of the grievances of the petitioners herein is that the roster register is not being maintained as has been noticed by a committee formulated by the university itself vide order dated May18, 2017. The proceedings of the committee clearly noted a deficiency in maintaining the roster register and further recommended that data of all categories of posts at the teaching departments be compiled with effect from the date of establishment of the university i.e. 1976,” the Judge observed.

The Senior Counsel appearing for the petitioners argued that despite the fact that the committee recommended that the roster register be maintained from the very inception of the university, the same has not been done so far, whereas the counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent-university submitted that some of the departments have only come into existence much later and therefore, for them the roster register to be maintained from 1976 would not be feasible.

“In the opinion of the court, the argument raised by counsel appearing for the respondent-university is not sustainable. For example, if the department of English came into existence with the inception of the university i.e. in 1976, this court fails to understand as to why the roster register cannot be maintained for the said department in the year 1976 itself. Needless to say that if a department came into existence post thereto, for example in the year 2005, automatically the roster register would be maintained from that date when the department came into existence,” the order states.

“Let the exercise be completed regarding maintaining of the roster register from the date of inception of the university within a period of four weeks,” the court ordered, adjourning the case to March 16, 2023.