By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net
Taking note of the several wrongful recruitments done at the Banaras Hindu University on posts reserved for schedule castes, schedule tribes, and other backward classes, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has started an inquiry into the appointment process and sought a reply from the University.
The commission’s letter is also tagged to the chairman of UGC and secretary of MHRD, along with the BHU vice-chancellor.
The inquiry is the result of a complaint filed by Prof Mahesh Prasad Ahirwar, who along with other professors, made the issue of appointment public.
Since the past few months, BHU administration is appointing people on seats which practically belong to the reserved categories. Moreover, BHU has made a ‘tentative reservation roster’ for such permanent appointments on the post of teachers.
In August, TwoCircles.net had done two extensive stories on the issue raised by Professor Ahirwar, which can be read here and here.
It was the tentative roster which raised eyebrows because the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) guidelines do not suggest the formation of a tentative roster for permanent appointments.
The ST commission has set a time frame of seven days for BHU to submit a reply. In case of no reply, BHU is liable to face legal action under Article 338A of the Indian Constitution.
Prior to this, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes had also summoned BHU vice-chancellor Prof GC Tripathi in the same case.
As per the roster in question, vacancies of schedule castes were reduced to less than 5% of the total vacancies. Moreover, in many of the departments and institutes, Schedule Tribes were given zero vacancies which made the issue look more controversial.
Various student groups have been protesting against the BHU’s reservation methodology in recent days. The University has also been accused of taking a bribe for providing appointment letter to the applicants.
Commenting on the issue, Prof Ahirwar told TwoCircles.net, “Both the Government as well as constitutional authorities have finally acknowledged our issue. The University cannot escape from this, they have to take part in the process.”
However, the University has not stopped the ongoing appointment process even after allegations and notices from various authorities. The University maintains that the steps it has taken are fair and constitutionally valid.