12 Delhi University colleges to submit docus after allegations

NEW DELHI: The committee formed by the Delhi University’s executive council toinvestigate allegations made by education minister Atishi against 12 colleges funded by Delhi government met on Tuesday.

The principals of these colleges were called for the meeting. The committee has sought documents relating to the sanction of postsand fund utilisation from the colleges.

The Delhi UniversityTeachers Association (DUTA) submitted a representation to the committee, raising strong objections tothe allegations.

On December 1, Atishi wrote to Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan highlighting irregularities in the functioning of 12 DU colleges. She demanded the central government to either hand over complete control of these colleges to the state universities orprovide full funding.

Rajpal Singh, a member of the committee, said: “Once the colleges submit the document, the committee will accordingly file a response. As there were allegations relating to unauthorised appointments, salary discrepancies, misappropriation of funds, contractual irregularities and delayed payment, principals have been asked to submit the details.”

However, the committee was firm that these colleges cannot be de-affiliated from Delhi University.

The teachers’ association has termed the allegations “wrong, unsubstantiated, and baseless”. On the allegation of financial irregularities, DUTA said: “There are three kinds of audits done regularly in these colleges since their inception. It has been observed that, in these regular audits, no such financial irregularities were reported. Earlier, the then deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia also got special audits done in these colleges through a private firm. It is a serious matter in which the checks and balances were used as an instrument of harassment by raising flimsy allegations of appointment against unapproved posts of teaching and non-teaching staff.”

It also added that the teaching and non-teaching positions were filled following advertisements. They also said that shifting these colleges to any other state university is against the academic interests of the colleges.

Another teacher’s organisation, affiliated withthe Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), stated that the university should focus on forming the governing body of these colleges.

“The longstanding convention of giving extension to GBs was given a pass and distributed selectively. Several letters by the minister concerned of the Delhi government and the elected teacher representatives over the governance issues evoked no response.... The panel of names for GBs sent onJanuary 28, 2023, was given the same treatment, even when the names recommended by the deputy CM were placed and approved by EC in previous years. Depriving GBs of these colleges of Delhi government nominees is neither good for legality nor for democratic morality,” the statement issued by AADTA said.

Delhi BJP MLA Vijender Gupta wrote to LG VK Saxena seeking his intervention, stating that there was a possibility of the closure of 12 colleges opened during the BJP rule in Delhi.