The Delhi University (DU) on Thursday announced that it has accepted a report on the alleged irregularities in 12 of its colleges fully funded by the Delhi government and will submit the findings to the government to address the funding issues faced by these colleges.
In a joint meeting of the Academic Council (AC) and Executive Council (EC), the members unanimously accepted the findings of a 10-member committee established by the DU to investigate the allegations made by Delhi Education Minister Atishi. This was the first joint meeting of the AC and EC in 102 years, the varsity noted in a statement.
Also read: DU admissions: Nearly 92% of UG seats at Delhi University filled in first round; 65,800 students admitted
During the meeting held under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh, the members unanimously accepted the committee's report and decided to inform the Delhi government about its findings and recommendations.
The university said it will request the state government to consider the recommendations made by the committee.
The varsity had constituted the EC committee, led by South Delhi Campus Director Shri Prakash Singh, in December last year to probe the allegations. The committee, named after him, submitted its report to the EC and AC members and concluded that no financial irregularities were found in the 12 DU colleges as alleged by Atishi.
Also read: 40 students injured in Barabanki after first floor of school collapses, 15 rushed to trauma center of district hospital
In December last year, Atishi wrote to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, flagging “irregularities” in 12 Delhi University colleges funded by the city government. She highlighted procedural lapses involving hundreds of crores of rupees from the public exchequer.
The minister further suggested that the 12 colleges should either be merged and brought under the Delhi government or that the Center should take full control, in which case the Delhi government would stop allocating funds to them.
Also read: Amid large-scale teachers' recruitment, broad-ranging discrepancies in Bihar
“After thorough discussions in this joint meeting, which lasted about five and a half hours, it was decided that while informing the Delhi Government about the report, the government will also be requested to address the issues faced by these 12 colleges. For this, the government will be requested on three main points:
“First, we will request them to grant ex-post facto approval to the posts (teaching and non-teaching staff) created by the governing bodies of the respective colleges as per the norms and provisions of the University of Delhi and the University Grants Commission. , and to expedite the process.
“Secondly, the Delhi government will be requested to ensure the timely release of funds (other than salaries and wages), including covering deficits for all 12 colleges, to maintain the academic standards of the institutions. Instructions should also be given to the Public Works Department (PWD) to ensure proper repair and timely maintenance of buildings and other infrastructure in these colleges in the larger interest of the students.
“Apart from this, the Vice-Chancellor was authorized to take any steps deemed appropriate in the interest of these 12 institutions with the joint approval of both councils,” the statement said.
Separately, based on the DU Vice-Chancellor's recommendations, another committee has been formed regarding the matter of PhD supervision by college teachers.
The committee for 12 DU colleges included DU EC Chancellor nominee Indra Mohan Kapahi, Proctor Rajni Abbi, Lady Shri Ram College for Women Principal Suman Sharma, EC Member Monika Arora, EC Member Rajpal Singh Pawar, EC Member Ashok Agarwal, EC Member Dr. LS Chaudhary, EC Member Sunil Kumar Sharma, and EC Member Seema Das.
The committee held four meetings and prepared its report, which was tabled for consideration in the EC meeting held on July 27.
After discussing the committee's report, it was accepted unanimously.
According to the report, “there is no unauthorized appropriation of funds from one head to another. There is no arbitrary and irregular payment for cleanliness and security. There are no financial irregularities in the colleges,” the statement said.
The report also stated that these 12 colleges are constituent colleges of the University of Delhi as per prescribed norms and are an integral part of DU. Their recognition cannot be cancelled. It also called for Atishi's letter to be withdrawn, stating that the de-affiliation is neither legally justified nor in the interest of the students, the statement said.
