Magadh varsity submits action taken report to chancellor’s office

GAYA: Promptly responding to the show-cause notice served by the governor-cum-Chancellor's office regarding the delayed superannuation of six Magadh University (MU) principals, the MU officials have submitted the action taken report (ATR) in respect of the letter dated 20-09-17, declaring principals as non-teaching staff between December 27, 2012 and May 15, 2017.
Sources said though the two week deadline set by the governor's office for its response ends on October 10, the MU responded well ahead of the deadline.
Details of the ATR submitted to the Chancellor's office have not been made public. However sources said that the university, while acknowledging delayed notification regarding the superannuation of principals who attained the age of 62 between December 2012 and May 2017, attributed it to confusion and ambiguity with respect to the status of principals. Except for a period of four-and-a-half years, principals, all through have been regarded as teachers.
Whereas, teachers in the university get superannuated at the age of 65 year, the non-teaching category retires at age 62.
Sources said, seven of the 17 MU principals served and drew salary beyond their retirement age, i.e.about three years in excess. Questions are also being raised on the promotion of another five principals who got promoted to the rank of professor during the period in which they belonged to the category of non-teaching. There is no provision for promoting non-teachers to teaching posts, much less to the post of professor.
Earlier, on September 26 this year, Brijesh Mehrotra, principal secretary to the governor cum Chhancellor, through a letter addressed to the VCs of different universities asked them to clarify how those principals who have completed 62 year of age between December 27, 2012 and May 15, 2017 continued to hold the posts.
Asked about the process of recovery of the excess emoluments paid to the 17 principals who retired and the five non-teaching principals who questionably got promoted to the post of professor, MU VC Prof Qamar Ahsan said that he would seek guidelines from the government and also obtain legal opinion. Asked if Public Demand Recovery Act would be invoked in respect of the recipients of excess salary, the VC said that he would act as per government’s direction and legal opinion.