DUTA Press Release, 15.3.2018

Thousands of teachers marched from Mandi House to Parliament Street today in the DUTA’s Pratirodh Rally to demand unconditional withdrawal of the UGC notification dated 5.03.2018 which has directed universities to prepare reservation rosters afresh keeping Department/Subject as a unit, instead of the entire University/College as a unit. Many forums like the Joint Action Committee to Save Reservation, committed to the cause of social justice, joined the DUTA rally. Protestors also burnt the 5 March letter to register their protest and rejection of the change in the Reservation Policy. 

Speaker after speaker stressed on the fact that, under the new roster system, the Constitutional requirement of reservation in teaching positions of 15%, 7.5% and 27% for SC/ST/OBC categories respectively will not be fulfilled. Smaller departments will be very seriously affected as achievement of required percentages will be delayed. The UGC Guidelines of 2006 had in fact insisted on using College/University as a unit precisely in order to overcome this problem and to fulfill the Constitutional requirement. This sudden U-turn in the reservation policy is neither comprehensible nor unacceptable.

With over two thousand posts advertised in Delhi University alone, this sudden change in the reservation policy seems to be intended to derail the appointment process. Thousands of teachers have been teaching on ad-hoc and temporary basis and the DUTA has been demanding immediate filling up of posts.

In this context, the DUTA has already written a letter to the Prime Minister of India, Shri. Narendra Modi on 14.03.2018, seeking his urgent intervention on this matter and to ensure the correct implementation of the 200-point roster. The DUTA appeals to the MHRD to file a Review Petition before a Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court. The DUTA is also of the unanimous opinion that this entire matter needs to be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee whose recommendations could be placed before Parliament at the earliest. In this context, the DUTA has submitted a Memorandum to the MHRD today. The DUTA is committed to the issue of social justice and will intensify its agitation in the coming days if the demand for restoration of 200 point roster is not met at the earliest.