KK Singh faces stern action

LUCKNOW: After his arrest, now Dr KK Singh faces suspension from the King George’s Medical University (KGMU). And if charges levelled against him are proved, his services may also be terminated. According to rules, a university employee, if arrested and kept in police custody or put in jail for over 48 hours, automatically comes under suspension.
When asked, the KGMU V-C Prof Mahendra Bhandari said that university authorities would proceed as per the law.“As soon as we will get official communication from the CBI about the arrest of Dr Singh, we will take disciplinary action as prescribed in the act and statutes,� he said. He described the arrest as a ‘sad affair’ and said that there would be no impact on the reputation of the university.
Significantly, vice-chancellor of the university does not have any power to suspend or terminate the services of a teacher. The said right can only be exercised by the apex decision making body — the Executive Council (EC). Now V-C will have to convene an emergency meeting of the executive council and place the matter before its members, who will give the final verdict.
However, the EC’s role has also been defined in the act which states that the teacher will remain under suspension till the time of his confinement in jail or in police custody. Furthermore, the EC might take the chargesheet filed by the CBI or any other investigating or law-enforcement agency into cognizance or also has the option to constitute its own disciplinary committee headed by the vice-chancellor.
Services of the teachers can be terminated on the basis of the recommendation of the committee or on the basis of the chargesheet filed by the investigating agency, if it was proved that the conduct of the teacher amounted to ‘scandalous misconduct’ and ‘moral turpitude’, which has harmed the reputation of the university.