MHC directs Madras University to make law for transparency
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court (MHC) has directed Madras University to frame a law to regulate the service conditions of its employees and directed the state to look into the matter.
“If the University fails to frame such service statute within six months, we will press the State to frame rules to govern the service conditions of the University employees,” a bench of Justice R Suresh wrote. Kumar and Justice K Kumaresh Babu.
Madras University filed an appeal before the MHC to quash the order issued by the single judge appointing U T Manisundar (deceased) as Joint Director as per the recommendation of the Task Force of the Distance Education Council (DEC).
Manisundar was appointed as Systems Analyst at the University of Madras on contract basis for one year in October 1985. He approached the MHC alleging that the university had denied him promotion despite playing an active role in developing the software required to computerize the university examination results. It was reported that the university constituted an IT expert committee and the syndicate considered the committee’s report, following which Manisundar’s post was renamed from System Analyst to Principal System Analyst with the same pay scale.
On February 25, 2015, the single judge had directed the university to promote Manisundar. Aggrieved by this, the university filed an appeal to cancel the order. Madras University counsel V Sudha submitted that the post of Joint Director is a post where only a senior faculty member of the university in the cadre of professors is eligible to be appointed and Manisundar was seeking to promote him as teaching faculty. Yes, this is not acceptable. Under the laws of the University. He said, being a non-teaching employee and the post of Professor is not a promotion post from the non-teaching post of System Analyst, Manisundar cannot seek such relief.
After the submissions the bench set aside the order of the single judge as the order passed by him is without appreciating the material available on record and contrary to the provisions of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Rules.
