Madhya Pradesh: Only permanent registrar in state-run universities to retire on May 1

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Come May 1, all the state-run universities in Madhya Pradesh will be sans permanent registrars. 

The lone regular registrar in the state, LS Solanki, deputed at Maharshi Panini Sanskrit Evam Vedic Vishwavidyalaya, Ujjain, will retire next month. 

The sorry state of affairs in the state’s higher education can be gauged from the fact that the state-run universities governed by the department of higher education (DHE) will be operating without permanent registrars. 

"In 13 out of 14 universities, the in-charge registrars are running the show," retired registrar RD Musalgaonkar said. 

He added that in some universities, teachers are deployed as registrars against the norms. "Deputation to PSC posts can't be done beyond 25 per cent, but the DHE has filled up around 58 per cent of registrars' positions with teachers until a few months ago. It was after the then additional chief secretary Shailendra Singh that the change took place and teachers were removed from registrar’s position, but some of them moved court and still enjoy the privilege that comes with the post,” he added. 

Dr Prashant Pouranik at Vikram University (Ujjain), Dr Surendra Singh at APS University (Rewa) and one at Chitrakoot University, Satna are among the teachers who are discharging duty as acting registrar at the state-run universities. 

This situation has arisen due to a legal tangle over the promotion of registrars. 

A legal case over quota in promotions created such a situation in universities that promotions could not be done since 2014. As a result, many deputy registrars who were eligible for the registrar's post retired without promotion. While, on one hand, promotions did not take place, on the other, registrars' positions fell vacant one by one in universities owing to retirements.

The last promotion was done in 2014 when deputy registrar Subhash Arya was elevated as registrar. After that, a petition over quota in promotions was filed in the Supreme Court, leading to the sealing of promotions in the university cadre.

A deputy registrar wishing anonymity said that teachers were using their political clout to be appointed as in-charge registrars. "The DHE, instead of promoting us after taking an undertaking, was making teachers acting registrars. As the issue of the promotion is sub-judice, the government has the option of promoting deputy registrar on undertaking," he added.

In the past eight years, around a dozen registrars including RD Muslagaonkar, Arya, Parikshit Singh, B Bharti, Manoj Tiwari and Kamlakar Singh have retired.

While deputy registrars are sulking for want of promotion, the DHE has rubbed salt in their wounds by choosing teachers over them for appointment as in-charge registrars. However, the then ACS had set things right, but as he has also retired, many believe that teachers will return as acting registrar again.