SHILLONG, Dec 9 - North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) Vice Chancellor (VC) SK Srivastava today said that he is trying to restore a statute that has been in place since the university�s inception, but amended by his predecessor.
Srivastava said that an academic council meeting has been convened to restore the original statute of the university, but it is being opposed by several organisations.
The VC said the meeting proposes to amend Statute 2(A) (2) and restore the status that was in force during the time of former VCs like CDS Dewanesan (1973-78), AK Dhan (1978-80), BD Sharma (1981-86), RK Mishra (1986-89), Iqbal Narain (1989-91), B Pakem (1991-99), Mrinal Miri (1999-2005) and Pramod Tandon (2005-2010).
�In 2011, during the incumbency of Vice Chancellor Prof AN Rai (2010-2013), the then Academic Council and Executive Council took a call to initiate the process to get the statute amended,� Srivastava said.
However, the NEHU Teachers� Association (NEHUTA), Meghalaya Tribal Teachers� Association (MeTTA) and Meghalaya Confederation for Academic Welfare (MeCAW) have opposed the move of the caretaker VC to restore the so-called original statute.
The three associations alleged that the main agenda of the academic council meeting, scheduled to be held on Thursday, is to amend the Statute Sub-Clause 2A (2) of Statute 2 that concerns the extension of the term of the incumbent VC.
The Union Ministry of Human Resources Development had extended the term of the incumbent VC by another year after his five-year term expired on September 23 this year.
MeTTA president Lakhon Kma alleged that the caretaker VC wants to delay the appointment of a new VC by amending the Statute Sub-Clause 2A (2) of Statute 2.
�By doing so, he wants to prolong his stay in NEHU as he does not want to go back to Manipur, which clearly shows that he is challenging the authority of the Visitor,� he said.
The organisations claim that the caretaker VC is just permitted to hold his office and is not supposed to exercise any statutory power derived from the NEHU Act, 1973.
�Statutory powers vested on a regular Vice Chancellor does not apply on a post holder, term expired Vice Chancellor who is permitted to continue to hold the office for a directed period conditionally such as Prof Srivastava,� the MeTTA president said.
The three associations have also appealed to all members of the academic council not to allow the incumbent VC to take up the proposed amendment since he no longer has any statutory powers to decide on policy matters as the caretaker VC.
�We have also written to the ministry concerned demanding the immediate cancellation of the academic council meeting failing which we will be compelled to seek the intervention of President Ram Nath Kovind, who is also the Visitor to the University,� MeCAW chairman Roykuman Synrem said.
