Will consider VRS request by professor ‘positively’: JNU to Delhi High Court
JNU also informed the Delhi High Court that the professor’s request for pensionary benefits, which he is eligible for, “will be considered.”
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Jacob, associated with JNU since 2008 was a professor in the Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament (CIPOD) of the School of International Studies (SIS), JNU.Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Thursday informed the Delhi High Court that the varsity administration has agreed to consider the voluntary retirement (VRS) application of a scholar and professor “positively”, subject to his withdrawing the petition before the high court.
Happymon Jacob’s request for VRS has been kept on hold owing to “unauthorised foreign trips”.
Jacob, who was appointed as Assistant Professor in the Centre for International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament (CIPOD) of the School of International Studies (SIS), JNU, in 2008, applied for VRS in March this year after completing 20 years of service. He joined as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Strategic and Regional Studies at the University of Jammu in 2004.
While the VRS was due to take effect from June 28, as per the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021, and was even approved initially, it was put on hold after Jacob went to Malaysia twice without prior authorisation from the varsity in June.
After Justice Prateek Jalan, addressing JNU on August 18, asked orally why it was inviting a problem that does not exist, it said before the court Thursday that Jacob subsequently wrote to the university, and agreed to withdraw the petition.
Recording the same, Justice Jalan disposed of the petition as withdrawn.
JNU also informed the Delhi High Court that Jacob’s request for pensionary benefits, which he is eligible for, “will be considered.”
The court, however, reserved Jacob’s liberty to move court again if his grievances survive subsequently.
Jacob’s VRS application was approved in an office order by JNU on June 18, four days before his retirement. On June 24, JNU informed through an email that his retirement request is being kept in abeyance on account of “unauthorised foreign trips”. The communication was sent after Jacob travelled to Kuala Lumpur for the 38th Asia-Pacific Roundtable from June 17-19.
On July 14, Jacob, in a written communication to the dean of SIS, stated that he made the foreign trip during the vacation period at the university, and he had faced technical issues with the online leave application. In the communication, he also requested that the trip be condoned, and the hold on his resignation be withdrawn.
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