The Jawaharlal Nehru University has suspended a senior professor for allegedly embezzling Rs 88,10,712 from the varsity. While the decision was taken on September 30, the JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) has now said that there was a "lack of transparency that has guided decision making on this matter". They alleged that not only were the Executive Council members not provided all the required documents, but the Vice-Chancellor also did not allow discussion on the matter.
The JNUTA said that the VC has yet again violated the rules of the university by not showing the EC members the details on the case. "The Vice-Chancellor did not allow any discussion on the matter, there was no sharing of facts that informed the recommendations of the fact-finding committee with members of the EC. Therefore at the time that the decision was taken to suspend the faculty member, EC members had no information on the period when this alleged embezzlement/misappropriation took place, the modus operandi of the alleged misconduct, the details of the lapses in the procedure of financial approval and authorisation of payments and the break-up of approvals that add up to the total amount along with information on the items sanctioned and approved," said the JNUTA.
The teachers said that the VC is bound to show them the necessary papers and disclosed the reasons and circumstances for the suspension of an individual. "As per Statute 30 of the JNU Act, that deals with misconduct and removal of faculty, it is the responsibility of the Vice-Chancellor to communicate and report forthwith to the members of the Executive Council, the “circumstances in which the order” for suspension was made. The recording of circumstances covers both substantive and procedural issues. Therefore, by not providing full information to members of the Executive Council, Dr Kumar has once again acted in defiance of the statutes that govern the functioning of the university," added the JNUTA.
The university has not commented on the matter yet and the copy will be updated when they do.
