The Hindu : Rabri orders probe into college appointments

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 14, 2002

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Rabri orders probe into college appointments

By K. Balchand

PATNA Dec. 13. The Bihar Chief Minister, Rabri Devi, in compliance with the Raj Bhavan directive, has ordered a probe by the Vigilance Department into the alleged irregularities committed by the Bihar State University Services Commission in appointing 1,100 lecturers to colleges of Bihar and Jharkhand. Ms. Rabri Devi communicated her compliance in writing to the Governor, V. C. Pandey, today, setting at rest the controversy the issue had generated between the two.

However, the Rashtriya Janata Dal president, Laloo Prasad Yadav, said that Raj Bhavan had crossed its brief by sacking two members of the Commission and maintained that the Governor never approached the State Government for amending the law to revise the criteria in appointing lecturers.

It was, however, still not clear whether the panel released by the Commission had been struck down or kept in abeyance. Even the Principal Secretary to the Governor, Mithilesh Kumar, who held a press conference to clarify Raj Bhavan's stand on the issue, was evasive and said the matter might be eventually decided in courts.

Justifying the dismissal of the two BSUSC members on the grounds of misconduct and insubordination, Mr. Kumar said that one of them was facing charges. The members had also not adhered to the reservation policy in preparing the panel. Their action was aimed at "deliberate mischief" and their recommendations were not executable.

Mr. Kumar declined to join issue with the RJD chief and denied having pressured the Commission to accommodate his nominees. The probe could well look into this aspect if it so desired.

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Rabri orders probe into college appointments