Associations representing university and college teachers on Tuesday alleged that the termination of two faculty members of Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) over their role in the regularisation of 38 contractual administrative staff in 2018-19 was arbitrary and demanded their immediate reinstatement.

The All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (AIFUCTO) and the Federation of Central Universities Teachers Associations (FEDCUTA) sought the intervention of the Delhi government, which runs the university, to prevent further damage to the reputation of the institution.

Last month, the university terminated the services of professors Salil Mishra and Asmita Kabra after an inquiry found them guilty of “misconduct” in connection with the decision to regularise 38 contractual staff members.

Mishra was pro-vice-chancellor and Kabra the acting registrar in 2018-19 when they implemented the collective decision of the university’s board of management to regularise contractual staff with 10 years of service.

The regularisation was re-examined after Anu Singh Lather was appointed the VC. Since 2020, the AUD management has appointed three inquiry committees to investigate alleged anomalies in the regularisation order, but none of the panels found any evidence of corruption in the execution of the order.

The first vigilance inquiry committee observed that no single officer could be held responsible for the decision even if the policy itself might be questionable. The second committee accused Mishra and Kabra of actions “unbecoming of a public officer” and termed their regularisation order an instance of “misconduct” under the CentralService Rule (CCS) of 1965. The third committee also found the two teachers guilty of misconduct.

Based on the reports of the last two committees, the university’s vigilance department recommended the termination of the two professors and denied them severance benefits.

Surajit Mazumdar, former president of the Ambedkar University Delhi FacultyAssociation (AUDFA), said the pro-VC and the registrar, as officers of the university, were duty-bound to carry out the decisions of the highest executive committee of the university.

“The employees whose regularisation has been cancelled have gone to court. When the matter is in court, how can you call the regularisation an act of misconduct? And these are not individual decisions. How can individuals be punished for the collective decision of the board of management?” Mazumdar said.

He said CCS conduct rules should not apply to the university faculty and staff members.

“The CCS rules are meant for government employees. The nature of the work of faculty members is different. If the CCS rules are applied, the faculty members and researchers cannot critically analyse any government policy or programme,” he said.

FEDCUTA president Moushumi Basu and AIFUCTO president Arun Kumar said their associations were standing with the AUDFAin their fight against the“arbitrary” decisions of theadministration.

“We appeal to the chief minister of Delhi, who is also the education minister of Delhi, to immediately reinstate professors Mishra and Kabra and check this state government-run university’s downward slide,” Basu said.

An email was sent to Lather to understand the perspective of the university on the allegations by the teachers’ associations. Her response is awaited.