HC stay ‘clears’ way for Yeole to be Marathwada vice-chancellor

Nagpur: In a big relief for Nagpur University pro-VC Pramod Yeole, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Monday confirmed its interim stay on Maharashtra government’s adverse findings on his eligibility and admitted his plea for final hearing.
The HC’s directives more or less cleared Yeole’s contention for becoming vice-chancellor of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad, where he appeared for interviews on Friday. Though he was last candidate with whom chancellor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had interacted, Yeole is tipped to bag the coveted post, after four failed attempts. Previously, he had applied for VC’s posts for Mumbai, Solapur, Nanded and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technical University (DBATU) in Raigad.
NU officials claimed that the chancellor’s office was waiting for the HC decision and, therefore, hadn’t announced Marathwada VC’s name. Though the HC has admitted Yeole’s petition challenging adverse findings against him, the hearing may be delayed due to huge pendency of cases and by that time Yeole could complete his full five-year term if appointed as VC.
Despite being most suitable to bag the top job with good credentials, Yeole wasn’t selected due to this pending court case where the government had reported that his appointment for the top post was “not according to the norms”. As a result, he was denied salary as per that post, which he had challenged through counsel Bhanudas Kulkarni.
The findings against pro-VC were recorded by former joint director of higher education in Nagpur, Anjali Rahatgaonkar, in her order of September 14, 2016, which was first reported by TOI on September 16, 2016. The report revealed that Yeole’s second appointment as assistant professor in the Institute of Pharmaceutical Studies and Research located at Borgaon (Meghe) in Wardha was not as per norms of apex bodies like UGC and AICTE. Subsequently, all his higher posts including principal and even the pro-VC, were “illegal” by that logic.
Former NU pharmaceutical sciences department head Naresh Gaikwad later filed another plea in the HC, through counsel Firdos Mirza, challenging Yeole’s appointment as pro-VC. He contended that chancellor failed to take cognisance of joint director’s report which ruled that Yeole’s appointment was “not as per norms”. He sought directives to the chancellor for declaring Yeole’s appointment as illegal and recovery of salary, perks and wages disbursed to him.