SHILLONG, Dec 7: A group of organisations comprising Meghalaya Tribal Teachers’ Association (MeTTA), North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) and Meghalaya Confederation for Academic Welfare (MeCAW) have accused incumbent Vice Chancellor of NEHU, SK Srivastava, of misusing the extension of his term in office to amend a significant statute of the University that may extend his term of office, and also opposed the proposed move.
As the process of selection of the new VC is under way, the act of proposing to amend statute 2(A) (2) concerning extension of the term of office of the incumbent VC under the specific direction of the Visitor (President) up to one year maximum or until the new VC joins, whichever is earlier, is “illegal and immoral”.
The organisations further suggested that the intention behind such a proposal is to avail another extension for the VC, if an amendment is allowed to that effect by University’s academic council. “Such an act is a conflict of interest, which is not only untenable from the statutory perspective, but it is a grave act of impropriety when a caretaker or term-extended VC cannot use any ‘statutory powers’ as stated in a letter by erstwhile MHRD,” the organizations said in a statement issued here.
They elucidated that as per the MHRD’s letter, “an officer appointed to perform current duties of an appointment can exercise administrative or financial power but he cannot exercise statutory powers, whether those powers are derived direct from an act of Parliament”.
“Now a Vice Chancellor such as Prof SK Srivastava is just permitted to hold his office and not supposed to exercise any statutory power derived from NEHU Act, 1973,” the statement said.
The VC explained that the intention of the proposal is to refer to some other universities and bring NEHU statute at par with other central universities, according to the statement.
However, the organisation questioned whether a VC, whose term has expired, can take such a policy decision with a long-term effect.