Journalism of Courage
For the second time,joining of the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Pune (UoP) is likely to be postponed. Reason: One P P Lavkare has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging R K Shevgaonkars appointment,claiming that he does not fulfill the eligibility criteria regarding experience as head of the department in an institute.
The joining date is March 25. And the date of hearing of the petition is March 26. Now,Shevgaonkar is not expected to join before the first week of April. Earlier,he had cited his commitments as finance deputy director which led to his postponing the joining date.
According to Lavkares lawyer,as per the amendment in the Maharashtra Universities Act regarding new eligibility criteria set up for the selection of a
Vice-Chancellor,the person must possess five-year experience as a head of the department.
The petitioner has claimed that Shevgaonkar was head of the electrical engineering department for four-and-a-half years and not for full five years. Therefore,he does not fulfil the eligibility criteria, the petitioner said.
Shevgaonkar said he had not yet received any notice regarding the hearing. I came to know about the petition through some newspapers. However,till today I have not received any official communication about it, he said.
Regarding taking charge of the V-Cs post at the UoP,he said he would not be able to join before March 31. As I have clarified earlier too,I have to complete my prior commitments at IIT-Mumbai. As deputy director of the financial department,I have to complete some important formalities in the wake of financial year ending, he said. He also said he had conveyed his late joining to the officials concerned in the higher education department.
