Teachers and students on Thursday demanded an immediate law to bypass a Supreme Court judgment favouring department-wise implementation of teacher quotas at universities, which slashes reserved posts.
The Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) wrote to HRD minister Prakash Javadekar seeking a bill or ordinance to restore the earlier system of calculating quota posts after clubbing all the vacancies across the university.
Students of Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University held separate protests.
Former junior HRD minister Upendra Kushwaha too wrote to Javadekar with the same demand.
“You have reiterated on more than one occasion the intention of the Union government to promulgate an ordinance to restore the college/ university-wise reservation roster,” the letter from DUTA president Rajib Ray said.
“Recent disturbing developments and their far-reaching implications require immediate steps for bringing such a bill/ ordinance.”
Javadekar had told the Rajya Sabha in July 19 last year that the government “does not agree with” the idea of department-wise quota implementation.
Javadekar’s ministry had prepared a draft ordinance around September but it was not promulgated for fear of an upper caste backlash. The ministry later converted the draft ordinance into a draft bill that was sent to the cabinet for clearance on December 20. The cabinet is yet to consider it.Under pressure, the government and the University Grants Commission had challenged the Allahabad High Court judgment directing department-wise implementation but the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed their pleas. DUTA fears that all universities might now start their teacher recruitment process under the new system.
“We are still waiting for the (apex) court order (that on Tuesday upheld department-wise implementation),” a senior ministry official said.
Javadekar on Thursday addressed a workshop for vice-chancellors on leadership development in higher education. A government release on his comments was silent on the reservation controversy.
