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Journalism of Courage
A government inquiry against the head of Manipur University (MU) has found that Adya Prasad Pandey remained absent from the campus for almost 200 days out of the 583 he served as vice-chancellor (V-C) from October 26, 2016 to May 30, 2018.
Prasad’s absence, a large part of which was on account of his visits to his hometown Varanasi, could not be justified from the university records, the inquiry has concluded. Worse, it cost MU over Rs 20 lakh as payment of travel and dearness allowance.
Pandey, who was a professor of economics at Banaras Hindu University before his appointment, has been on leave since August 2, 2018. Former Manipur chief secretary Jarnail Singh was subsequently appointed as administrator to discharge the V-C’s functions.
The HRD Ministry had instituted a two-member inquiry against Pandey on August 17, 2018, after an agitation by students and teachers paralysed the university for over a month. The students had alleged that Pandey is inaccessible, spends little time on campus, misuses university funds and meetings of the university’s Executive Council. The V-C, on the other hand, attributed the agitation to him rejecting the students’ union demand for Rs 10.7 lakh to print their annual magazine.
Adya Prasad Pandey is the third head of a central university appointed by the Modi government who has come under scanner for irregularities. The first was HNB Garhwal University V-C Jawahar Lal Kaul, who was fired in December 2017. A showcause notice has been served to the incumbent head of Allahabad University V-C Rattan Lal Hangloo for alleged financial, academic and administrative irregularities. If the HRD Ministry accepts the findings of the two-member inquiry against Pandey, then most likely it will seek the President’s permission to issue him a showcause notice as well.
In addition to his unjustified absence from the university, the inquiry report, submitted by former Allahabad High Court judge Sakha Ram Singh Yadav and former Osmania University V-C Tirupathi Rao, also found that Pandey did not hold the university court meeting between October 26, 2016 and May 30, 2018. MU, under him, also did not hold its convocation even though an expenditure of roughly Rs 10 lakh was incurred for procuring gold medals.
The report draws attention to the V-C’s failure in filling up posts of registrar and controller of examination. It also notes that MU did not follow academic calendar under his leadership and declaration of exam results was delayed.
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Although the V-C, the report states, was given ample opportunity to present his defence with regard to the allegations, he refused to submit a response to the committee. The findings are being studied by the ministry, The Indian Express has learnt.
