Letter to Visitor: 26 June 2014

26 June, 2014

Hon’ble Shri Pranab Mukherjee,

We wish to seek your intervention in the impasse created in the University of Delhi due to the intransigence on the part of the Vice-Chancellor of the University. The Delhi University Teachers' Association had earlier brought to your notice the substantial procedural violations, non-application of mind and highly questionable academic decisions that the statutory bodies of the University of Delhi have taken. This serious situation has arisen due to an environment of intimidation and harassment that has vitiated and crippled decision making process. Suppression of free and fearless exchange of ideas has impoverished and vitiated the statutory decision making processes.

Despite unambiguous order by the University Grants Commission to revert back to the pre-Four Year Undergraduate Programme issued on 20 June 2014, the Vice-Chancellor is obstructing the process of roll back. This has caused a serious problem that needs to be addressed urgently to put an end to the suffering of thousands of students waiting for the admission process to start. A large number of them have come from various parts of the country are facing immense stress and difficulties.

In the light of the above, we urge you to set aside courses of study for FYUP framed as Ordinances in Appendix II to Ordinance V(2) as well as the attendant amendments to other Ordinances, to have Prof. Dinesh Singh vacate the position of the Vice-Chancellor and also to institute enquiry into the misgovernance  and vitiation of the process of academic functioning and decision making. The institution of the Four Year Undergraduate Programme is only one example of the vitiated process.

With regards,

Nandita Narain                                                                      Harish Khanna

(President, DUTA)                                                               (Secretary, DUTA)