DAV remands Josan issue back to inquiry officer

The inquiry officer is probing into allegations of 11 charges levelled against Josan. The charges include mismanagement and other irregularities. Josan had objected to the inquiry report prepared by the inquiry officer on three grounds.

Firstly,that the inquiry officer did not examine two witnesses in his (Josan) presence. Secondly,that two witnesses were cross examined in his absence. Lastly,the copies of statements of witnesses were not supplied to him.

The inquiry officer had indicted Josan in the charges levelled against him by the governing body of the DAV Managing Committee. The inquiry report was prepared on September 26 and tabled before the DAV Managing Committee on October 18.

Taking stock of the objections raised by Josan,the governing body has remanded the matter back to the inquiry officer asking him to take another look into the matter.

This development was reported to the Punjab and Haryana High Court by Advocate Sanjiv Bansal,counsel for DAV managing Committee. The development was informed during the resumed hearing of a petition filed by DAV College Managing Committee.

The Committee had moved the High Court seeking stay on the direction by the Panjab University (PU) wherein it had ‘ordered’ DAV to withdraw suspension of Dr B C Josan. The High Court,on October 20,had stayed the direction and also issued notices to PU and Dr B C Josan.

The Committee,in its petition,had contended that the Registrar of PU is not competent to pass such a direction. The committee also challenged the vires of the regulation under which the Registrar had passed the ‘order’.

Contending on behalf of the committee,Advocate Sanjiv Bansal averred that the Registrar had exceeded his powers to pass a direction that Josan’s suspension be withdrawn.

When questioned as to whether the fact that the matter has been remanded back to the inquiry officer goes against the Managing Committee,the counsel for the committee said that it only proves the committee’s ‘fairness’.