VC admits his mistake, withdraws disqualification of senate member

Nagpur: Four months after illegally sacking member Manmohan Bajpayee from the Senate, Nagpur University (NU) vice-chancellor Subhash Chaudhari has withdrawn his controversial order. Chaudhari admitted that as per law, the powers to disqualify a Senate member lies with the chancellor of the university. The governor is the chancellor of all public universities in the state.
However, stepping up his attack, Bajpayee has now demanded a public apology from the VC, besides again pressing for his resignation based on the rescinded order dated January 6.
VC Chaudhari’s order came anticipating an imminent embarrassment he could have faced in the high court, sources said. Bajpayee had challenged his August 12, 2022, disqualification from membership of the Senate in the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court. Chaudhari didn’t reply to TOI’s calls.
Its legal counsel had advised the NU top brass that it was not possible to defend the disqualification order in the HC. The matter is expected to be heard on Monday. In his bid to save himself from another dressing down from the judiciary, Chaudhari was compelled to rollback his order, sources said.
Just 19 days before Bajpayee’s tenure was to end, Chaudhari had disqualified him saying, “he was unfit for the Senate”. Alleging that the VC misled the senate, Bajpayee had demanded disclosure of the MKCL exam work deal, which remains under wraps. The former senate member had also questioned the NU administration over several financial and academic irregularities. Later, he was disqualified as a Senate member.
Using the same grounds, Chaudhari had opposed Bajpayee’s candidature for the graduate’s constituency polls. The HC had passed strictures in the election case against the VC. The HC had also passed strictures against Chaudhari while setting aside the termination of former political science department head Mohan Kashikar.
The VC’s repeated blunders over graduate’s constituency polls necessitated amendments in the Maharashtra Public University Act.
Bajpayee, a lawyer himself, said the news about his disqualification appeared in the media, leading to his defamation. “I wasted my time, suffered financial loss, and also mental harassment. The fact that it took him more than four months to realize that the chancellor has actual powers, proves that Chaudhari cannot implement the University Act in a timely and fair manner. He must issue an unconditional public apology,” he said.
“You have tarnished the image of the university, sent a wrong message in academic circles, violated the law and therefore you have no right left to hold the constitutional post of VC. You should accept moral responsibility and resign immediately,” reads Bajpayee’s letter to Chaudhari.