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Controversy resurfaces after SPPU registrar’s appointment

The post of Registrar at the SPPU has been vacant for the past three years.

3 min readPuneMar 26, 2026 10:17 PM IST

Milkfed termed the lapse 'major misconduct' under its service rules.

Professor Manohar Sanap of the Ness Wadia College of Commerce was appointed as the Registrar of the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) by Vice Chancellor Suresh Gosavi on Monday, almost two years after rumours of his appointment led to controversy and put the process on hold. Several women employees of Wadia College had earlier registered complaints of mental harassment and humiliation against Professor Sanap, leading to the controversy.

The post of Registrar at the SPPU has been vacant for the past three years. Applications to the post were invited in February 2024. A selection process was conducted, but even before the final selection was officially announced, reports of Sanap’s selection triggered the controversy. He was suspended by Wadia College in August 2024 pending enquiry over the allegations.

However, the Bombay High Court in January 2025 stayed his suspension order calling it arbitrary, without commenting on the merits of the accusations. It ordered Wadia College to complete the enquiry in six months. An official of Wadia College told The Indian Express that the enquiry had been completed but the contents of it had not been made public yet. The High Court order noted that one of the complaints against Sanap was filed with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.

According to the requirements in the appointment letter of the Registrar, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the parent institution must be submitted before joining university service.

However, in a letter to the Vice Chancellor of SPPU in January 2025, Wadia College withdrew the no-objection certificate provided to Sanap for his appointment as Registrar of SPPU. This withdrawal was reiterated in a letter to Sanap dated February 26, 2026.

The appointment, if confirmed within a month with the submission of all necessary documents like the NOC, will be valid for five years from the date of joining or until the date of retirement, whichever is earlier.

Now, a fresh controversy has erupted over his official appointment. Kalpeashh Yadav of the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Yuva Sena questioned how an appointment could be made now based on an advertisement issued two to two-and-a-half years ago. “There is a whiff of some financial misconduct in the selection process for the Registrar. It has come to notice that this appointment is illegal as per the rules of the University Grants Commission,” he said.

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Accusing the Vice-Chancellor of making an irregular appointment, Kuldeep Ambekar of Student Helping Hand and Rahul Sasane of the University Student Struggle Action Committee have warned of protests during the Senate meeting scheduled on March 27.

Senate Member Dhananjay Kulkarni alleged there was a “mastermind” behind the controversy of the appointment. He questioned why the Vice Chancellor had appointed Sanap even though the NOC had been withdrawn by Wadia College.

Vice Chancellor Suresh Gosavi refused to comment on the matter.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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