It was Deshmukh's claim that the assessment process was not part of his "day-to-day job" which irked the Governor, who then set a deadline, the first of three to be breached, for the varsity to declare results.
That Mumbai University Vice Chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh was taken to task by the Chancellor, Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, over the online assessment fiasco is no secret. But DNA can now reveal what proved to be the last straw on the camel's back which eventually led to the Chancellor's decision to ask the VC to go on leave.
It was Deshmukh's claim that the assessment process was not part of his "day-to-day job" which irked the Governor, who then set a deadline, the first of three to be breached, for the varsity to declare results. The results of all the students have still not been announced, leaving close to 1.5 lakh of them in uncertainty.
In a letter, dated July 3, to the Governor's secretary B Venugopal Reddy, Deshmukh wrote that there were a few lapses on the part of the varsity staff which were rectified after he personally monitored the process for the over 50 days even though it was not part of his quotidian work.
Deshmukh has been under fire from student groups and political organisations, who earlier demanded his resignation over the failure of the On Screen Marking (OSM) system he unilaterally introduced without adequately training the assessors, leading to delays in declaration of results and breach of three deadlines set for July 31, August 5 and August 15. The VC was recently also sent a show-cause notice and asked to explain the delay.
Deshmukh's letter, which held forth on the benefits of OSM, did not go down well with the Governor, who rebuked him for implementing the OSM evaluation without the necessary groundwork, and set a deadline of July 31 for completing the assessment of 18 lakh answer books.
While Deshmukh had claimed that teachers were going to be extremely happy once they were familiarised with the process, the assessment could not be completed despite three deadline extensions granted by the Chancellor. Last Friday, the government was forced to scratch the deadline, saying simply that the university would be declaring the results soon.
Botched job
MU VC’s letter to Governor says assessment process isn’t his ‘day-to-day work’.
The university has breached three deadlines for declaring results
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Sanjay Deshmukh")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}