High Court comes to rescue of Yuvaraja College principal

MYSURU: Five days after

Yuvaraja College

principal H

Nanjegowda

was suspended, he has returned to the post after the high court gave a stay against the government order (GO) suspending him.

Nanjegowda was suspended by the government on October 19 for allegedly not heeding the GO with regard to the appointment of assistant professors. Following his suspension,

University of Mysore

authorities had given the additional charge of Yuvaraja College to registrar (administration) R Rajanna. Rajanna told TOI that he has handed over the charge following the vice-chancellor's direction late on Monday.

Nanjegowda said that the high court had given a stay against his suspension. UoM vice-chancellor

K S Rangappa

had orally communicated to him, saying that the government has suspended him on October 19. Since then, he did not turn up at the college. Nanjegowda said that he knocked on the doors of the high court on October 20, claiming that government can't suspend him as he is an employee of UoM. Only the university or its Syndicate can suspend him.

"I have acted as per the college's governing body directive, which is a supreme authority, with regard to the appointments. Neither the government nor the university had asked me to stop the selection of assistant professors on contract. The government had written to the university, asking it to stop the process, and the latter had replied to it. I don't have any role in this regard. But I have only acted as per the governing body's direction," he explained. Nanjegowda will retire on superannuation on October 31.