RAJINDER KUMAR SINGLA Vs. PANJAB UNIVERSITY, CHANDIGARH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner has approached this court challenging the appointment of respondent no. 3 as Professor, Department of Music, Panjab University, Chandigarh and has made the following two substantial prayers:-

(2.) Briefly stated, the facts are that the respondent Panjab University issued advertisement No.13/ 2010 for appointment to various posts including the post of K.L.Sehgal Professor of Music. The last date fixed for submission of applications was 18.9.2010 and thereafter the date was extended thrice. The applications were put up before the Screening/Expert Committee to shortlist the candidates to be called for interview. However, the meeting of the selection committee for Music could not be held.

(3.) The allegation of the petitioner is that within a week of the announcement of respondent No.2 (who happens to be the husband of respondent No.3) to be appointed as Vice Chancellor, the Department of Music with a view to oblige respondent No.2 had sent a communication that the department is facing acute shortage of teaching staff and requested to make an emergent appointment of respondent No.3. A perusal of letter dated 5.7.2012 reveals that the Department of Music had already written a letter dated 31.5.2011 for filling the vacant posts but no arrangement of faculty had been made, and therefore, the department had requested to fill the advertised teaching posts at the earliest. The department further requested for making an emergent appointment of respondent No.3 for a period of one year before the commencement of the new session. So the members of the Academic and Administrative Committee, Department of Music, in a joint meeting held on 5.7.2012 recommended the name of respondent No.3 for an emergent appointment of Professor in Vocal Music against the vacant post of K.L.Sehgal Professor of Music for a period of one year in accordance with Regulation 5(a)(i), Page 111, PU Calendar Vol.I, 2007.