Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya (MGAHV) here is running without a vice-chancellor (VC) for the last one week after the Nagpur bench of Mumbai High Court removed the Union government-appointed candidate.

According to the statute of the university, if the post of the VC falls vacant, the pro-VC will take charge and in his absence, the senior-most professor will assume office. There is, however, no pro-VC in MGAHV, and the senior-most professor is Prof Lella Karunyakara, a Dalit scholar. However, the Visitor, the President of India, who is aided by the ministry of education (MoE), is yet to decide on whom to appoint next.

The VC's post fell vacant after Rajaneesh Kumar Shukla resigned on August 14, 2023, and left the campus the same day. Then registrar-in-charge Kadar Nawaz Khan issued an order that Karunyakara would serve as the acting VC. The MoE, however, remained silent.

The Visitor accepted Shukla’s resignation on October 19, 2023. The MoE then issued a letter stating that the charge of the VC's post should be handed over to Bhimraya Metri, the director of IIM Nagpur.

Karunyakara challenged the ministry's decision in the high court and a two-judge bench of Justice M.S. Jawalkar and Justice Anil S. Kilor set aside the MoE's order of appointing Metri.

"Considering the language of above-referred statute, we have no hesitation to hold that such mode is not possible,” said the March 28, 2024, judgment.

The court said the Visitor may proceed with the VC appointment process. Another order issued by the court on April 1, 2024, however, stated that "the Respondent No 1 (the Visitor) may take fresh decision as regards to handing over the post of VC as per provision of Statute 2(7)”.

After the judgment, Karunyakara started discharging the VC's responsibilities from March 31, 2024, though the Visitor’s letter had not arrived in yet. He cancelled a proposed meeting of the executive council (EC) and put the registrar in-charge of MGAHV, Dharvesh Katheriya, who has been in charge since December 2023, under suspension.

The MoE considered these actions "arbitrary" and on April 5, it wrote a letter to the MGAHV to convene an executive council meeting and take action against Karunyakara. The letter stated Karunyakara has issued "several arbitrary communications/orders by himself”.

"This is in contravention to the aforesaid judgment of the hon’ble high court. The above acts of Prof Karunyakara are causing panic and disruption, and severely disturbing the proper and smooth functioning of the university,” the letter read.

Y.J. Rayalu, a faculty member at Dharampeth Science College, Nagpur, said an institution cannot be allowed to remain headless and Karunyakara took charge with honest intentions.

"No institution can work in a vacuum. If the ministry is particular about procedures, it should have issued the order on handing over the charge on the same day or the next day of the high court judgment. The ministry is wrong in allowing the institution to remain headless,” Rayalu said.

He said there could be a procedural lapse in the case of Karunyakara’s taking over the charge but it is not an intentional act of omission or commission.

He added that the government at the Centre does not like neutral academics. "It promotes cheer-leaders," he said.

An email has been sent to higher education secretary Sanjay Murthy to understand his perspective on the reasons behind calling for action against a faculty member. A response from the ministry is awaited.