The tussle between the Delhi government and the Delhi University over the latter’s failure to appoint governing bodies is yet to see an end. Conveying to the university that its decision to freeze funds of 28 colleges will continue, the government has now asked DU not to conduct interviews for appointment of ad hoc and permanent teachers. In the letter sent on August 30, the government also warned the university from “infringing on its rights” to nominate members to the body. While 12 of the colleges are fully funded, the government provides five per cent grant to 16 others. The remaining 95 per cent is given by the University Grants Commission (UGC). In July this year, the government announced that it is cutting funds for the 28 colleges, after the university’s executive council decided to form a committee to review the list of names sent by the government — leading to further delay in formation of the bodies. The tenure of the previous governing bodies had expired in October 2016. In these 28 colleges, the governing body consists of 15 members. While five are nominated by the Delhi government, the other five are DU representatives whose names are approved by the government. It also includes the principal, two university teachers and two teachers of the college. According to the government, it had sent its list much earlier and the delay was from the university’s end. DU then sent a fresh list of nominees to the government, stating that the reason for the delay was because it wanted to have a “balanced representation of people from diverse fields”. In the letter, however, the government contended that the university just sent the list with five names on it. “The university is flouting its own rules and nominating five names for each college, while the executive council resolution states that the Delhi government shall nominate five names. It has been observed that nominating members to the governing body is the prerogative of the government and the university should not be infringing upon this,” said the letter. The government now wants DU to accept the nominations cleared by them and have sent a fresh list with names of candidates. It also ordered that all appointments in these 28 colleges be stopped and that the process of constituting the governing bodies be expedited. However, officials said, the process of renewing the ad-hoc lectureship was done in July. “In these 28 colleges, the process has been completed. Permanent appointments have not started yet,” a principal of one of these colleges said. On the continuation of ad-hoc lectureship, Atishi Marlena, adviser to Education Minister Manish Sisodia, said, “As the fund freeze is ongoing, the salaries of teachers will now be stopped. The university cannot infringe on our rights. We do not know why there is a delay despite us sending them a fresh list.” In the absence of a governing body, a mini-governing body — comprising the principal, teacher and university nominee — takes decisions. The university Registrar and the Dean of Colleges could not be reached.
