The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NEHU has appealed to the President of India Ram Nath Kovind (the Visitor of NEHU), urging him not to extend the tenure of the incumbent Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. SK Srivastava.
“Giving extension to Prof. SK Srivastava even after his non-performance and mismanagement, as raised by way of peaceful protests and demonstrations by teaching, nonteaching and students shall remain incorrect on moral grounds,” the JAC said in its appeal to the President.
Pointing out that the Prof. Srivastava is an applicant for a second term, the JAC said that any extension given to him would allow him to exert undue influence on the selection process of the new Vice-Chancellor, as the selection process for the post of Vice-Chancellor is already under process.
“In such a case of extending him, being an applicant, shall also be immoral and unethical and unprecedented as in the history of NEHU, no incumbent Vice-Chancellor has so far been given an extension,” the chairman of the JAC. Prof. Xavier Mao said on Monday.
He also said that as per NEHU statute 2(A) (2), after the term of office of the incumbent Vice-Chancellor is over, the seniormost Professor shall normally take over the charge of the office of the Vice Chancellor until a new Vice Chancellor is appointed. “Ignoring this proviso shall be highly immoral, unless there is an exceptional need for extension with very sound grounds. There is no such exceptional ground that the incumbent Vice Chancellor Prof. SK Srivastava should be extended,” Prof. Mao said.
The JAC also informed the President that Prof. Srivastava’s regime has damaged the University beyond immediate repair. “Hence offering him an extended term would be direct encouragement of destruction of the sacred temple of learning meant for Meghalaya and the Northeastern region,” it said.
