DUTA Press Statement, 5.8.2014

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) has compiled a comprehensive ‘White Paper’ on the various Financial, Administrative and Academic Irregularities and Violations of the Delhi University Act, Statutes, Rules and Regulations made by the current Vice Chancellor Prof. Dinesh Singh. Additionally, this White Paper has also noted the lack of personal probity and academic integrity on his part. The DUTA represents the University Community’s overall conviction that the nature of the Vice Chancellor’s functioning during his entire tenure, up to this point of time, has propelled the University towards many crises, tarnished its prestige and academic credibility, as well as undermined its accountability to the public. In compiling the details of his misdemeanors at various levels and the negative impact it has had on the democratic functioning and liberal atmosphere of a reputed public institution of higher learning, the White Paper is an important step in the struggle for restoration of normalcy and processes of justice in the University. On the basis of the White Paper, the DUTA demands a comprehensive Visitorial Inquiry against the Vice Chancellor, pending which, he should be made to go on leave. His continuing presence in the University, in the capacity of its chief administrative and academic officer, is detrimental to the interests of this University.Normalcy and a sense of justice will not be restored unless the Vice Chancellor and his core team of senior officials are brought to book and the University is given the opportunity to put these shameful years behind and move ahead.

The White Paper levels the following main charges against the Vice Chancellor:

1. Grave Subversion of the University System: The Delhi University is a public educational institution governed by an Act of the Parliament, its Statutes, Ordinances, Rules and Regulations. The current VC has cynically violated the rule of law many times in order to push his decisions on administrative and academic matters through. He has subverted statutory processes through which the rules are implemented and executed. He has consistently misused Emergency Powers to amend Statutes and Ordinances and take arbitrary decisions on routine matters related to programmes and courses of study, tenure and processes of teaching and administrative appointments. These violations attracted public notice in the last days of the controversial FYUP but they defined his manner of functioning in the Academic and Executive Councils throughout his tenure as Vice Chancellor.
2. Holding up of Appointments and Wrong Implementation of the Government’s Reservation Policy: Even as the University required substantial expansion in teaching posts after the implementation of OBC Reservations in 2008, the Vice Chancellor deliberately put a freeze on fresh appointments. Between 2010 and 2014, the number of vacant teaching positions in Delhi University grew to an alarming figure of 4500 plus. Yet, and despite the UGC’s repeated reminders, no steps were taken to start the process of fresh appointments. Ad hoc and guest/part-time teachers continue to make up over half the faculty strength in the University. While a tardy resumption of appointments began in January 2014, the Vice Chancellor introduced Screening Points criteria for candidates in contemptuous violation of the current UGC Regulations. He also changed the composition of the Selection Committee to ensure his own upper hand in the process. The new composition pushed through in the Executive Council was also inconsistent to the current UGC Regulations. Additionally, he made the Executive Councilabdicate all its prerogatives to examine appointments and qualifications.

   In the matter of appointments, the Vice Chancellor also ignored the GOI Reservation Policy and implemented his own version of the 200-Point Reservation Roster which denies the Reserved Categories their entitlement of posts through the calculation of historic shortfall and backlog. Faulty implementation of the Roster was a way to subvert the Reservation Policy and its objective of social justice. Moreover, he arrogantly defended the University’s incorrect position in Court by declaring that DU is a “state” under Article 12 of the Constitution and is hence not bound by Government Policy!

3. Authoritarian Governance and Grave Financial Irregularities: He replaced structures of collective decision-making by installing loyalists and personal favourites as OSDs in colleges and HODs in Departments through out-of-turn or unauthorized appointments.He defied the Delhi Government in its attempt to function with fully-formed Governing Bodies in its own funded and administered colleges by not allowing the process of nominations to the Governing Bodies to resume. He thus kept the truncated Governing Bodies of the Delhi Government administered colleges under his own firm influence. He punished dissenting teachers by denying them promotions and service benefits, setting up false inquiries against them and issuing show-cause notices against those who refused to toe his line. Protesting activists of the DUTA were punished through salary cuts and threats of discontinuity in service. An unauthorized Code of Conduct was imposed on teachers at the VC’s direct behest in order to clamp down on any criticism of his administration by making all criticism and free expression of disagreement actionable against teachers. This created an atmosphere of terror and meek submission to his excesses. It also allowed him to bypass statutory bodies in making inconsistent financial decisions like diverting 172.56 crores out of the OBC grant meant for expansion in teaching faculty and general upgradation of infrastructure towards the purchase of laptops for the batch of FYUP students, culling out funds for running the Gyanodaya Express and organizing the ostentatious ‘cultural festival’ Antardhwani, and the massive diversion of funds from the School of Open learning (SOL). The tacit approval given to illegal rock mining in the ARSD college campus and the vandalisation/illegal felling of trees in the reserved area of the South Campus also incriminate him against public accountability.
4. Destruction of Academic Integrity of Courses, Exams, and Student-enabling Measures: The massive Academic Dilution resulting from bifurcated syllabi in the Semester mode, the FYUP courses and changes in the Examinations system that led to the loss of confidentiality and large-scale manipulation of marks have also happened during his tenure. These have resulted in a devaluing of the Delhi University degrees. Moreover, enabling facilities like “Special Chance” for some unfortunate students to complete their degrees after the stipulated course duration and “revaluation” of answer-scripts have been arbitrarily withdrawn, leading to a loss of confidence among students.
5. Subversion of Processes of Justice against Sexual Harassment: The University’s progressive Ordinance XV-D, made in the spirit of the Vishakha Judgement had covered all instances of sexual harassment against teachers, non-teaching employees and students. This Ordinance was arbitrarily suspended through a Notification issued by the Registrar in January 2014 after the enactment of the new Act on sexual harassment of Women at Workplace, 2013, enacted by Parliament. No discussions were allowed in the Executive Council to see whether the Ordinance could be amended in accordance with the new law. As a result, the University currently has no mechanism to deal with cases of sexual harassment of especially students who are not covered by the new law. The VC’s disdain for processes of justice relating to sexual harassment became amply clear in the manner in which he has shielded the BR Ambedkar College principal who has been accused of harassing the deceased employee Smt. Pavitra Bharadwaj and abetting her suicide. Without allowing the Inquiry report on him to be placed before the college Governing Body for discussion, or even following the Delhi High Court’s orders on the matter, he unilaterally approved the suspended principal’s reinstatement in office.
6. Evasion of Responsibility in CWG Scam Probe: The current VC has also denied the CBI its request to probe the University officers who have been incriminated in the Shunglu Committee Report on the CWG Scam. This is tantamount to a willful obstruction of law and process of justice in a matter that involves corruption and the swindling of public money at a large scale.