UDCT prof8217;s appointment set aside

MUMBAI, JULY 15: The Bombay High Court today set aside a controversial appointment of Dr R D Mhaskar as Professor of Applied Mathematics,...

MUMBAI, JULY 15: The Bombay High Court today set aside a controversial appointment of Dr R D Mhaskar as Professor of Applied Mathematics, University Department of Chemical Technology UDCT and directed that a freshly constituted selection committee advertise for the post again and select a new candidate.

Meanwhile Dr Mhaskar, who was appointed as professor in December 1997, will continue to hold his post as Reader as well as keep the charge as the Professor of Applied Mathematics.

The appointment of Dr Mhaskar was fiercely contested by Dr T E Govindan, a Ph.D in Applied Mathematics from IIT, who claimed that he had not even been called by the selection committee for an interview for the post, though he had applied for the same. He argued that though he was a doctorate in applied mathematics, he was not even considered, while Dr Mhaskar who had done his doctoral thesis in chemical engineering was appointed to the post.

The University of Mumbai had advertised for the posts of both reader and professor inapplied mathematics for UDCT, on September 24, 1996 where Dr Govindan had applied for both the posts. However, according to the petitioner, his papers were never put before the selection committee for consideration as a professor and he was only called for the post of a reader. He was duly appointed as a reader in applied mathematics in February 1997.

As per the directions of the division bench of Justice M B Ghodeswar and Justice B N Srikrishna, the two parties along with the University today drew up minutes of the order wherein the selection of Dr Mhaskar was set aside. The court directed that the selection committee would meet in a period of six months and consider all candidates or any other candidate wherein the qualifications and credentials of all the candidates would be considered and appoint a suitable candidate as professor.

This is the second time that the appointment of Dr Mhaskar for the same post has been set aside. Earlier, he had been appointed as professor in UDCT on January 4, 1992 whichwas challenged by the then reader of applied mathematics, UDCT, Dr D D Haldavnekar. The same Bombay High Court had in January 30, 1992 found his appointment in 8220;gross violation of the rules since he did not even posess a basic degree in applied mathematics when the qualification required was that of a doctorate in the subject8221;.