The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Rajasthan University V-C quits day before HC hearing
A DAY before the High Court was to decide his fate, Rajasthan University Vicechancellor J P Singhal tendered his resignation on Sunday.
The V-C went to Raj Bhavan in the morning to meet Governor Kalyan Singh and tendered his resignation, which the later accepted. The Governor gave the charge of the university to Jaipur Divisional Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh taking the university back to the pre-singhal days, when a state government official held the position for seven months.
Last week, the High Court had slammed the government over Singhal’s appointment.
In response to a petition filed by Jaipur-based activists, including former bureaucrat Satya Narayan Singh, former HC judge I S Israni and two RU academics, the court had said that Singhal was not qualified to hold the top post and it would have to pass orders cancelling his appointment if the university did not do so.
Singhal’s lawyers had assured the court that passing an order revoking his appointment would not be necessary, and had sought time till January 9.
Since then, there was uncertainty whether Singhal would put in his papers, especially after his purported comments reported in some local media, where he ruled out resigning.
“Thismorning,thev-carrivedatthe Raj Bhavan, met the Governor and tendered his resignation citing personal reasons. The Governor immediately accepted it,” Raj Bhavan sources said.
The Congress, which had been claiming that Singhal’s appointment was a result of his proximity to the RSS, had said the court’s remarks had vindicated its stand.
The government, however, kept defending the appointment even after Singhal put in his papers.
Former higher education minister Kalicharan Saraf — believed to be instrumental in Singhal’s appointment as V-C — defended the government’s decision over appointing a person without a PHD degree to the RU’S top post.
“Even the previous V-C Dev Swarup appointed by the Congress did not have a PHD. Why is the Congress crying foul about this appointment now?” he said on Sunday.
“There have been several prominent educationists in Rajasthan who have not had a PHD degree, so what?”
However, Dev Swarup, who quit the top post in 2014, citing lack of cooperation on part of the newly sworn in Raje government, held a PHD as well as a Dlitt Degree.
When this was pointed out to Saraf, he said “Naam ke aage Dr. lagane se koi PHD nahi ho jata (You don’t become a PHD just by adding Dr. to your name).”