NEW DELHI, July 1:
The Union HRD Ministry today issued a showcause notice to Visva Bharti University Vice Chancellor Sushanta Dattagupta, seeking his explanation on financial and administrative irregularities found by a three-member panel set up by the Ministry.
Dattagupta has been given 21 days to explain his position before the Ministry contemplates further action against him, officials in the Union HRD Ministry said.
The President, who is the Visitor to the Central universities including Viswa Bharti, can invoke Section 16 of the General Clause Act to remove a VC.
The Ministry had last week got the approval of the President to showcause Dattagupta.
The three-member panel set up in February this year and headed by Justice Sakharam Singh Yadav, a former judge of Allahabad High Court, took cognisance of several enquiries and complaints against Dattagupta including alleged misappropriation of funds.
Dattagupta has been accused of making several illegal appointments including the appointment of the Controller of Examinations despite having no powers to do so and sanctioning key posts in violation of the Visva-Bharti Act.
He is also accused of drawing his salary from Visva-Bharati and pension from Jawaharlal Nehru University, which is a gross violation of the university’s Act.
A section of teachers and students in the varsity had been demanding the removal of Dattagupta.
On June 23, senior Congress leader from West Bengal and Rajya Sabha MP Pradeep Bhattacharya met President Pranab Mukherjee demanding removal of Dattagupta, claiming that the university has been “losing its glory” under him.
“I expressed my displeasure at the way the vice-chancellor was functioning. The situation is deteriorating in the campus under his leadership and the university is losing its glory by the day,” Bhattacharya had said.
The charges against Dattagupta had also been raised by Bhattacharya in Parliament during the last Winter Session.
This is the second time the Ministry has issued a showcause to a Central university VC.
In March this year, Delhi University VC Dinesh Singh was issued a showcause notice, asking him to explain the circumstances under which he had introduced the controversial FYUP. .
The Ministry is yet to take any action against him even though Singh is set to retire in October this year. (PTI)
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