Mysuru: The Karnataka High Court Justice Vineet Kothari yesterday ruled that teachers should show their talent in teaching and leave clerical jobs to non-teaching staff. The HC also directed the State Government not to appoint teachers to non-teaching jobs.

Justice Kothari gave the order while dismissing the petition filed by Prof R. Rajanna, former Registrar, University of Mysore, against his transfer. Prof Rajanna had contended that he had been moved out without any notice being issued to him. He is a professor of History and now moved back to his department. Senior KAS officer D. Bharati was appointed in his place.

The judge suggested that in future, only experts in administration should be appointed as Registrars. If such a step is taken then internal squabbles and confusions could be avoided. The State Government should look into this issue, he said.

When Star of Mysore spoke to Prof Rajanna, he said, “I have still not received the copy of the order dismissing my petition. Only after I receive it, can I take a decision.”

Government is right

A Syndicate member speaking to SOM said that the State had taken the right step in appointing a senior KAS officer as the Registrar and this stand was vindicated by the decision of the High Court.

The Karnataka State Universities (Amendment) Act, 2011, (that received the assent of the Governor on Feb. 4, 2011) says — Amendment of section 17 – In Section 17 of the principal Act for sub-section (1),  the following shall be and shall always be deemed to have been substituted, namely:- “(1) The Registrar shall be a whole time officer of the University. The State Government may appoint an officer not below the rank of Group-A officer of the super time scale or a member of the faculty of any university working as a Professor for at least five years to be a Registrar of  a University.”

At loggerheads?

The Higher Education Department has made it mandatory for Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of to teach for specified hours in a month. But the order from the High Court to the Government asking it to not to appoint teachers to non-teaching jobs is contrary to what the State Government has set out to implement.  A notification, issued recently has stipulated that a Vice Chancellor has to teach at least for eight hours in a month, while Registrar (Administration) and Registrar (Evaluation) must teach at least 16 hours in a month. However, there was no such rule earlier.

“The Government appoints a bureaucrat in place of an academician, thus violating it’s own notification. Though it is right, to appoint a bureaucrat to University of Mysore, following  the Karnataka State Universities (Amendment) Act, 2011, how can it violate its own notification,” asked a senior professor.

Such anomalies is creating lot of confusion in the minds of the academicians. The State Government as well as the Higher Education Department should put its heads together and come out with proper rules and regulations that should uphold the dignity of the universities, instead of acting in this ham handed fashion said a former Vice Chancellor.