Delhi University Principals write to EC on 'illegal' enquiry committee, harassment of principals

NEW DELHI: Delhi University Principals Association (DUPA) has given a representation to the DU Executive Council (EC) against the ‘illegal’ constitution of the fact finding committee and harassment of DU college principals by the Chairman of the Governing Bodies in some colleges.

It further requested the executive council to declare the “illegitimate and unfair” constitution of the enquiry committee in Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College and Swami Shraddhanand College as “illegal and infructuous”.

Explaining the situation, the Delhi University Principals Association wrote, “In the absence of timely arrival of funds from the funding agencies, especially the government and the NCT, the principals of the colleges often transfer fund from the Student Society Fund to Maintenance Account to tide-over the emergency so that the payment of the salaries and other urgent expenditures are made on time to ensure smooth conduct of the teaching learning process for the best interest of students.”

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“These transfers of funds are done on loan basis and are recouped as and when grants are released by the funding agency. This practice is also prevalent in all UGC funded institutions under emergency situations.”

This temporary accommodation is being construed as an unauthorized transaction by the Chairman of the governing bodies in some colleges, the DUPA said. The association also pointed to stress caused by the high cost of living in the national capital and the prevailing Covid-19 situation and added that the temporary accommodation is done to ensure that “financial stress is minimized”.

Calling it unfortunate, the association said, “In Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, the chairman of the governing body has unilaterally constituted a fact finding committee to look into such temporary adjustment by Professor Hem Chand Jain, officiating principal, by treating this as illegal transfer of funds.”

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The DUPA further claimed that the due process of accounting is being followed and all types of audits are being done regularly.

Similarly, in Swami Shraddhanand College, an enquiry committee has been constituted on flimsy grounds by the chairman, governing body of the college, against the Principal Praveeb Garg.

“Such type of actions on part of the chairman of the governing bodies weakens and demoralizes the institution of principals,” it added.