Avinash Azad
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Sept 12: The acting vice chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Jammu (SKUAST-J), has been taking some policy decisions, overstepping his mandate. Moreover, he is also facing allegations of taking unauthorized decisions and government has already given go ahead to law enforcing agencies to prosecute him.
Sources in SKAUST-Jammu informed Early Times that a professor, who is presently holding additional charge of Vice-chancellor, has been taking policy decisions like promotions and transfers of the officials, which didn't fall under the mandate of a acting VC but a regular VC.
Sources said that he had recently organized a board of management meeting, in which no one from the state government side and members from Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) and other required members of the Board, was present, which was mandatory for the meeting.
"He is trying hard to get the post of Vice Chancellor by using all means. He has a court case regarding his service continuity (58 SWP 761/2013). The accused professor is not even a permanent employee of the university. He joined as Director Extension 2008 for five year tenure which expired in 2013", sources said, adding that he was also involved in e-studio scam.
"The accused professor was nodal officer of e-studio project, which has suffered losses to the tune of Rs. 3.66 Crores for which an enquiry is already constituted", sources said, adding, a vigilance enquiry is also pending against him.
"He is under the scanner of vigilance and his connivance was also found with the then Vice Chancellor Dr Nagendra Sharma (who has been jailed for one year) in some corrupt practices. A case was registered Vide FIR No. 19/2009 registered on 9th September 2009 registered at police station vigilance organization Jammu.
The case was registered against Dr K.S.Risam Director Extension, Dr. A.K. Srivastava Director, NDRI Karnal and Dr R.M.Bhagat DRI-CUM-DEAN PGS, and they were found guilty of irregularities and corrupt practices", they said, adding that N N Vohra the then Governor, who was also chancellor of the University had ordered a thorough investigation through the Department of Finance and State Vigilance Organization, the documents available with ET reads.
"Both these organization held them guilty and sought their prosecution. However, permission for prosecution of 17 officials of SKUAST-J was awaited from former Vice Chancellor Dr B Mishra", they said, adding, "Secretary Finance in Omar Abdullah Government, Sudhanshu Pandey, had directed Wali Mohammad, then Director Audit and Inspection and now Director General of Accounts and Treasuries, to conduct a focused investigation into the serious charges against the former VC and his coterie of officials", they said, added that permission for the prosecution was reportedly pending since long, due to the pressure exerted by Dr Srivastava and few others at ICAR, Dr A.K Srivastava had then joined Director cum Vice Chancellor NDRI Karnal.
When contacted, acting VC SKAUST-Jammu Dr. KS Risam said that no case against has been registered. "There is no case registered by Vigilance Organisation against me. I have not issued any transfer order but it was an attachment order", he said, adding that promotion cases are routine matters and have nothing to do with policy matters.
Contrary to acting VC's claim, the documents available with Early Times vide order no. University Order 43(Est.) of 2019, dated 30/08/2019 nine officers were transferred while on each attached and detached. |
