HC asks govt to reply on DSNLU row

The Hyderabad High Court on Monday admitted a petition questioning the Andhra Pradesh government for making appointments and interim appointments to the post of Vice Chancellor in Damodaram Sanjivaiah National Law University (DSNLU) in Visakhapatnam. The bench of Acting Chief Justice Dilip B Bhosale and Justice P Naveen Rao issued notices to issued notices to the Law Secretary of AP government while hearing a public interest litigation case filed by DSNLU’s general council member P R Subas Chandran.

According to the provisions of DSNLU Act, 2008, it is the Chancellor who is the competent authority to make such appointment, termination or even the appointment of an in-charge Vice-chancellor, contended the petitioner. The State government has no role at all in such matters but still it went ahead and illegally appointed a new Chancellor by issuing a G.O., said Subhas Chandran, who argued the case as a party-in-person.

The AP government abruptly terminated the services of the existing vice chancellor Professor R G B Bhagavanth Kumar in November, 2015, two years before his tenure came to an end. The post of chancellor of the DSNLU has been lying vacant for the last 15 months and the State usurped the role of the Chancellor, he alleged. The Bench issued notice to the UGC asking it to spell out its stand on the issue and told the counsel for the AP government to come out with the State’s stand within two weeks from now and posted the case to February 29.