GOBIN CHANDRA BORA Vs. ASSAM AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Aggrieved by the order dated 27.1.2014 issued by the Registrar, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat transferring, inter alia, the petitioner, who is currently serving as Principal Scientist, AICRP on Vegetables, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat to Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Gossaigaon, he is filing this writ petition for the cancellation thereof.

(2.) The case of the petitioner is that he was appointed as Senior Technical Assistant at the Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat ("the University" for short) in the year 1987. He was subsequently selected and appointed to the post of Junior Breeder in the following year. The post of Junior Breeder is equivalent to the post of Assistant Professor. In the year 1995, he joined as Assistant Professor of Biswanath Chariali College of Agriculture whereafter he was transferred to Research Station, Golaghat in the year 1996 where he continued his service till 2008. He was further promoted to the post of Senior Scientist, which is equivalent to the rank of Associate Professor and was thereafter transferred to the University as Principal Scientist, which is equivalent to the post of Professor. In the meantime, he had obtained Ph.D. degree from Haryana Agricultural University in the year 1995 in the field of specialization in vegetable breeding. According to him, by dint of his sincere work, he has been able to develop 15 varieties of vegetable crops and, therefore, earned fame for the University, which was appreciated and commended at various national and international fora. Despite the position and status enjoyed by him as Professor and Principal Scientist, the University is not even able to provide a single room as is done in the normally in the case of other Professors thereby forcing him to sit with Laboratory Technicians and other junior staff. To add insult to the injury, around 6 months back, he was arbitrarily asked not to teach the course in which he has the expertise and was instead entrusted with a course about which he is not well -versed.

(3.) It is the further case of the petitioner that some news items were published in local newspapers containing allegations about the acts of commissions and omissions by the Vice -Chancellor (respondent 2). Respondent 2 on 14.11.2013 held a press meet and denied such allegations and at the same time asserted that the news items were published at the behest of 4 Professors of Assam Agricultural University which included Dr. Umesh Kalita, who happens to be the relative of the petitioner. After publication of the news reports, he was directed to sign a letter in support of respondent No.2, but he refused to do so. This infuriated the higher echelons of the University, who started targeting the petitioner and this resulted in issuing the impugned transfer order. Contending that the impugned order is illegal and mala fides, the petitioner is, therefore, filing this writ petition for appropriate reliefs.