Uttarakhand HC junks plea challenging appointment of registrar to engineering institute

NAINITAL: The Uttarakhand High Court dismissed a petition challenging the appointment of the registrar of the Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Engineering and Technology. A bench comprising Chief Justice G. Narendra and Justice Subhash Upadhyay described the petition "baseless" and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the petitioner.

The bench directed the petitioner to deposit the fine with the State Legal Services Authority within six weeks. Petitioner Ajay Kishore Bahuguna, a resident of Tehri, had alleged that the Institute's Registrar, Sandeep Kumar, lacked the required educational qualifications and the minimum five years of administrative experience required for the post.

The institute argued that Kumar's appointment was duly approved by the Board of Governors and was made in accordance with the prescribed rules. Furthermore, Kumar was appointed in 2019, and questioning his appointment six years later is unfair.