Commission for SCs summons VC

Patiala, June 20

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has summoned the Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University in a complaint of alleged caste-based discrimination and denial of promotion and arrears filed by an employee. The hearing is supposed to be held on June 22.

Dr Harminder Singh Khokhar, who was earlier appointed APRO on the campus in 2001, said he was appointed against a permanent reserved post for SCs but was removed from service in 2003 as a post was abolished.

He then challenged the abolition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2004. “Later, I was reinstated after the university’s high-power committee, including the Dean, Academics, the Registrar and others, for redressal of grievances examined and pointed out that the matter had not been presented in front of the syndicate,” said Khokhar. He was not paid the arrears for the years he had remained out of work.

Another committee of the university passed his arrears in 2013 but those were not released to date. “I went to the commission in 2018 for release of arrears and promotion. The pending promotion and arrears were passed at the syndicate meeting in August 2020, but I am still awaiting them.”

The commission has said reminders were issued in November 2020 and March 2021. It had directed the university VC to be present at the hearing with relevant documents on June 22. — TNS

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