NARAYAN SAHU Vs. VICE CHANCELLOR UTKAL UNIVERSITY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Whether a meeting would be convened or not, a dispute which though common in political or para political spheres but unusual in academical activities, has landed itself in the arena of the Court. The petitioners who are Lecturers by profession and are Fellows of the Senate of the Utkal University, the oldest University of the State, have filed this petition for a direction to the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar opposite parties 1 and 2 to convene a Special Meeting of the Senate of the University in accordance with the requisition sent on 19-4-1987 by them along with 78 others. The opposite parties having not responded to such requisition, the petitioners have come before this Court for issue of a mandamus to compel them to perform their statutory duty of calling the requisition meeting.

(2.) From the facts disclosed from the affidavits of the respective parties, it appears that in the Senate meetings of 19-3-1987 and 20-3-1987, the subject of grant of affiliation to different Colleges for B. Ed., B. Ed. (SS/CC), B. P. Ed. and Engineering courses were on the agenda but however no decision could be taken on such topics for want of quorum. On 19-3-1987 itself eighty Fellows including the petitioner sent a requisition to the Vice-Chancellor the relevant extract of which is as follows :-

(3.) The provision of calling a Special Meeting of the Senate is as provided under Statute 23 which may be usefully extracted :-