Srinagar: A controversy has erupted over assigning the charges of in-charge Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) after the former VC demitted his office on Saturday.
As per the order issued by the Registrar CUK, the former VC before demitting office ordered that Director Research and Development, Prof Farooq Ahmad Shah, who is also the Dean School of Business Studies, CUK would function as in-charge VC of the CUK till the duly appointed VC takes over or till further orders.
Notably, the former VC Prof Mehrajuddin, in pursuance to the statute 2 (4) under Section 27 of the CUK Act 2009, demitted office on October 16 after attaining the age of 70 years.
Before leaving his office, Prof Mehrajuddin approved that Prof Shah would function as in-charge VC of the university.
However, the move created a controversy after the professors in the university claimed that the seniority of the professors was not respected while assigning the charges of the VC till the appointment of new permanent VC of the university.
“As per the University Act, the outgoing VC before leaving his chair was supposed to choose the senior-most professor of the university to be given the charge of in-charge VC. But the University Act was ignored,” an aggrieved professor said.
The former VC before leaving his office on Saturday said that the senior-most professor would be given the charge.
He said that the order would be issued on Monday, October 18.
However, contrary to it, the order was issued on Saturday, October 16, which was not immediately updated on the official website of the university.
Registrar CUK, Prof Afzal Zargar defended the university’s decision and said that no seniority had been derived in the CUK for the past many years and an alternative mechanism was used to appoint an in-charge VC of the university.
“As of now, it is more than clear in the university that no one has been declared the senior-most professor. We have communicated to the union ministry on what grounds the charges of in-charge VC were given to Prof Shah,” he said.
However, Prof Zargar did not divulge the criteria on which the professor was given the charge.
“The professor was not given charge on the seniority basis but we followed an alternative mechanism,” he said.
However, Prof Zargar said that there were issues with the seniority of the professors in the university for the past many years.
“The executive council constituted committees twice to derive the seniority of the professors. The first committee decision was put before the council but it was questioned by the applicants (professors),” he said.
About the second committee, Prof Zargar said that the committee presented its verdict which was placed before the executive council.
“The executive council approved it but we have sent it to other relevant quarters,” he said.