Union Education Minister does not accept a Dalit Vice Chancellor
After Professor Lella Karunyakkara assumed office, people who believed in the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) started feeling stomach cramps. A major reason behind this was that Professor Karunyakara is a Dalit.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is not happy with a Dalit professor on the post of Vice Chancellor. Senior Professor Lella Karunyakkara got the opportunity to work on the post of Vice Chancellor in Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University in Wardha. Rajneesh Kumar Shukla resigned from the post of Vice Chancellor on August 14, 2023 and left the campus on the same day. Registrar Kader Nawaz Khan then issued an order that Karunyakara would serve as the acting vice-chancellor. Ever since the University was established, it has been the tradition that the senior most professor will assume the charge of the Vice-Chancellor until a permanent Vice-Chancellor is selected and appointed.
After Professor Lella Karunyakkara assumed office, people who believed in the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) started feeling stomach cramps. A major reason behind this was that Professor Karunyakkara is a Dalit, who started appearing on the post of sole Vice Chancellor in the Central Government universities. Secondly, Professor Karunyakara is an Ambedkarite at the level of education and ideology from JNU.
After Professor Karunyakkara became the acting Vice Chancellor, a message of shock was sent to the Education Ministry. From the office of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on October 19, 2023, Prof. Information was given about the acceptance of Shukla’s resignation and on the same day the ministry issued a letter saying that the charge of Vice Chancellor should be handed over to Bhimrai Maitri, Director of IIM Nagpur.
Whereas there is no provision for such instruction of the Ministry in the Act of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University. Not only this, in other institutions also there are rules for filling such posts by senior teachers after they become vacant. As per the law of the University, if the post of Vice-Chancellor falls vacant, the Pro-VC will take charge and in his absence, the senior most Professor will take charge. However, Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University has no Pro-VC and the senior most professor is Karunyakara, a Dalit scholar.
Professor Karunyakkara opposed the Education Ministry’s direction to hand over the charge of Vice Chancellor to Bhimrai Maitri and challenged it in the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. The hearing process continued in the court for about five months. And on March 28, 2024, Justice M.S. Jawalkar and Justice Anil S. A two-judge bench of Kilor quashed the education ministry’s order appointing Maitri.
The judgment dated March 28, 2024, said – “In view of the language of the above statute, we have no hesitation in saying that such an approach is not possible.”
The court said that “the Visitor (President of India) can proceed with the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor (permanent).” However, another order issued by the court on April 1, 2024 pointed out the typographical error in the earlier order and then amended it to say that “Respondent No. 1 (Visitor) is the Vice-Chancellor as per the provision of Act 2(7) “Can take a new decision regarding handing over the post.”
Professor Karunyakkara sent the notice to take charge as Vice Chancellor as per the rules of the university. But the Education Ministry is not ready to accept it. Rather, the Education Ministry considered these actions ‘arbitrary’ and wrote a letter on 5 April calling for an Executive Council meeting and taking action against Karunyakkara. The letter states that Karunyakara himself has issued several arbitrary correspondence/orders.
The letter states – “This is a violation of the aforesaid decision of the Honorable High Court. The above actions of Professor Karunyakkara are causing consternation and disruption, and are seriously hampering the proper and smooth functioning of the University.”
The Registrar in the University called a meeting of the Executive Council of the University and issued a show cause notice to Professor Karunyakkara. The Registrar, in his capacity as the President of the Teachers Association and as the Registrar, has faced severe reactions and has had to undergo suspension proceedings for putting the University in an embarrassing position several times by his orders and decisions. An investigation committee was also formed against him.
If the ministry is not accepting Professor Karunyakkara as the Vice-Chancellor, it means that the Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University will be without a Vice-Chancellor since April 1 after the Nagpur bench of the Mumbai High Court removed the candidate appointed by the Central Government. Its going on.
Let us tell you that the Visitor of the University is the President of India, who gets the support of the Ministry of Education in the administrative matters of the University. Till now the Union Education Ministry has approved Prof. A letter was issued to take action against Karunyakkara and the university became proactive and started taking action against him. But the Education Ministry has not decided who should be appointed Vice Chancellor.
In this way Prof. The sword of action is hanging against Karunyakkara on the instructions of the Ministry.
Courtesy: Hindi News