After a year, Punjabi varsity syndicate to meet today
TO TAKE A CALL ON FINDINGS OF INQUIRY REPORTS RELATED TO ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION, NEPOTISM AND MISUSE OF FUNDS DURING 2007-2017
PATIALA: Punjabi University will hold its syndicate meeting on August 17 (Monday) after a gap of one year. The syndicate is the highest decision-making body of a varsity, and the meeting will be held online.
With the university yet to take a call on findings of inquiry reports related to allegations of corruption, nepotism and misuse of funds during 2007-2017, the state higher education department had given repeated directions to the varsity to hold a syndicate meeting at the earliest. The delay in holding the meeting has delayed action against officials and employees indicted in these reports. A varsity official said they are under immense pressure from state government to decide and fix responsibility in these inquiry reports. The last syndicate meeting, in which administrative issues were taken up, was held on August 21, 2019, under the chairmanship of vice-chancellor (V-C) professor BS Ghuman.
The varsity has circulated a 250-odd page agenda for the meeting, prominently including discussions to decide key inquiry reports pending for the past two years.
“The point related to inquiry reports has been prominently listed. It has been specifically mentioned that these reports were opened in the last meeting in 2019. Detailed discussion will be carried to finally decide on these reports. Among other agendas are promotions of teachers, approvals for recent appointments and other administrative decisions,” an official said.
Punjab higher education secretary Rahul Bhandari, who is also a member of syndicate, said the agenda will be thoroughly discussed and taken to logical conclusion.
“In addition, discussion will be carried out on administrative matters for the betterment of the financial situation of the university,” he said. The V-C could not be contacted.
14 PROBES ORDERED IN APRIL 2017
Following the resignation of former V-C Dr Jaspal Singh in March 2017, the then secretary of higher education, Anurag Verma, was appointed the officiating V-C. Verma had received complaints on irregularities in the university’s functioning from 2007 to 2017. These included allegations of nepotism, corruption, and bungling of funds in the examination branch, among other issues. On the basis of these complaints, Verma had ordered 14 internal inquiries in April 2017. The panel had submitted its sealed findings to the university in July 2018, but no action has resulted.