Delhi University panel rejects ad hoc teacher’s nomination

New Delhi: The Delhi University’s scrutiny committee rejected the nomination of Sachidanand Jha for the post of member of the executive council (EC) claiming that an ad hoc teacher cannot fight the elections.
The decision of the committee has been opposed by several teachers. Abha Dev Habib, EC member, said that the committee did not give any substantive reason for the rejection.
“Ad hoc teachers have always voted in the elections as their names are there in the electoral rolls.But this was the first time that an ad hoc wanted to fight the elections, but they are not allowing it,” she said.
Jha, teaching at Rajdhani College, has been an ad hoc teacher for the last eight years. He said that he had recently written a piece in a newspaper, which might have prompted the decision.
“I was the first candidate to file the nomination papers and they did not object to that,” he said.
The DU Teacher’s Association (DUTA) condemned the committee decision and termed it “illegal”.
“This decision violates Statute 5 of the Delhi University Act,” said a statement by the teachers’ association.
Jha claimed that “the committee could not produce a single argument or reference to any statute in justification of their stand.”The EC elections are scheduled to be held on February 9.