Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Dec 19: As the Jammu University decision of re-advertising the post of Assistant Registrars snowballs into a controversy, more skeletons are coming out of the cupboard.
The investigations revealed how the persons at the helm of affairs in JU were manipulating the university affairs , including selection process of even the Gazetted officers, like Assistant Registrars, to benefit their favourites even by ignoring the otherwise eligible candidates.
The extent of favouritism by flouting all norms, can be gauged from the fact that an influential clerk in Jammu University , who had not even appeared in the Written Test for the post of AR, was invited by the Competent Authority for interview before the selection committee, sources told the Excelsior.
The said clerk, presently working as Head Assistant in JU, is an office bearer of a body of Jammu University employees.
Sources said that the name of this influential Head Assistant was intruded in the list of shortlisted candidates for interview on the alleged instruction from top level for the unknown reasons and this has been confessed by two successive Registrars at that time.
Further, there was ambiguity in the advertisement notice, which led to serious lapses in the shortlisting of candidates and ouster of eligible ones, sources added and explained that two candidates were shown shortlisted twice for the positions of AR thus depriving two others from being invited for the interview.
Pertinent to mention that the re-advertisement of the posts of Assistant Registrar vide number Estab/NTW/C&R/15/149-200, dated 01—09-2015 by treating the earlier notification, dated 29-08-2011 as withdrawn, had raised many eyebrows amidst certain allegations in a section of media.
Following the earlier notification, dated 29-08-2011, total 406 candidates had applied for the three posts of Assistant Registrar ( one under Reserved category at Main Campus and one each, under Open category, at Bhaderwah and Kathua Campuses.
After the screening, 400 candidates were found eligible. Thereafter a Written Test was conducted on 05-01-2014 and 182 applicants, out of 400 eligible, appeared in the same.
The interview of the shortlisted candidates was fixed on 17-07-2014 and 11-08-2014 but the same was not held for the reasons best known to the concerned authorities at that time.
After Prof R D Sharma took over as the new Vice-Chancellor, the interviews were once again scheduled on 8-8-2015. For the purpose, merit lists were sealed in an envelope and personally handed over by the outgoing Registrar Prof Manoj Dhar to the incumbent Registrar Prof Keshav Sharma. The calls for interview were sent from the file as per the interview calls sent on last two occasions
However, sources said, ahead of the scheduled interview on August 8, when the Registrar opened the record to prepare the required calculation sheet for the marks obtained in written test and academic merit, irregularities and ambiguity in the criteria adopted for selection process , were observed
As the matter was immediately brought into the notice of Vice-Chancellor, a committee of two former Registrars (Prof Naresh Padha and Prof Manoj Dhar), incumbent Registrar Prof Keshav Sharma, Dean Faculty of Law, Controller Examination Sanjeev Mahajan and Assistant Registrar (Establishment) was constituted to examine the selection process of ARs, sources elaborated.
The committee met twice and sought clarification on the adopted criteria of shortlisting the candidates, deciding the set ratio of 1:6 for interviews, right of a candidate to apply for two campuses at the same time, etc.
The committee sought opinion of the JU Standing Counsel, who suggested that the post of Assistant Registrars be re-advertised to safeguard the interest of the institution. To be careful, sources added, another opinion was taken from other senior advocate, who also opined that keeping in view of the ambiguity in the Advertisement notice of the year 2011, and lapse of more than four years since then without conclusion of the selection process, the Jammu University may consider the possibility of re-advertising of these posts of ARs.
In the wake of the suggestions and full facts of the case, the Vice-Chancellor ordered postponement of the interviews and asked the committee to submit concrete recommendations on the matter after re-examining the same.
Thereafter, the committee after threadbare deliberations and taking into consideration the legal opinions, took a unanimous decision of re-advertising the positions of AR to enable the fresh qualified candidates to apply as the time gap between the advertisement and completion of selection process was long, sources said.
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