The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has granted an interim stay on suspension of the former Registrar of Gandhigram Rural Institute in Dindigul district. The court has also granted an interim stay on charges framed against him.
The court was hearing two petitions filed by V.P.R. Sivakumar, the former Registrar of Gandhigram Rural Institute. He challenged the suspension order issued against him and the charges against him. He said that the reason stated in the suspension order was that he had sent a reply to the AG office with regard to the AG audit slip without the knowledge and obtaining permission and approval of the then Vice-Chancellor.
The petitioner said that the allegations levelled against him were false. He said that as a Registrar he had sent a reply to the AG office in respect of the AG slip. He said that the slip was addressed to him along with other slips and he had only discharged his duty.
Representing the petitioner, advocate Arul Vadivel Sekar submitted that the petitioner was the Registrar of the University and that any disciplinary action should be taken only with the concurrence of the Board of Management as per the rule. He pointed out that the Board of Management was the final decision-making body in respect of every matter of the institute, including academic, administration, financial, service and development.
Further, the suspension order and the charges against the petitioner were passed by the Vice Chancellor in charge and the Registrar in charge. Both are below the rank of the petitioner who was a regular Registrar.
Merely because they are the Vice Chancellor in charge and the Registrar in charge they cannot assume power in violation of the rule, the counsel said and sought a direction to grant an interim stay against the orders.
Justice R. Suresh Kumar observed that in view of the prima facie case where for want of jurisdiction, the orders are assailed, the court is inclined to grant an interim order of stay on both the matters. The court ordered notice to the authorities and adjourned the hearing by two weeks.
