JOIN USAt its 95th meeting here on Thursday, the Syndicate decided to give Acharya, a retired professor of physics, four days ‘to show repentance and remorse in writing’. But the member has struck a defying note and denied that he used any unpleasant words at the meeting which was adjourned on Wednesday following the reported squabble.
"There is no case against me. They are framing me for my audacity. I will not be cowed down by such tactics," Acharya told Deccan Herald.
According to Registrar (Administration) R M Ranganath, Acharya did refer to the caste of the senior most dean. When the VC intervened, Acharya turned his ire and called him "a glorified clerk and nothing more than that". Heated arguments followed and the VC adjourned the meeting when his efforts to pacify the members failed.
Ranganath also refuted Acharya and said that the issue of clarification on finances of the university was never discussed in Wednesday’s meeting. But the verbal spat was recorded and the matter was raised in the Zero Hour in Thursday’s meeting.
After discussion, members sought action against Acharya. One of the ex-officio members said that Acharya should be given four days to apologise. Interestingly, the retired member was not present in the Zero Hour.
Acharya, though, has a different story to tell. Denying that he used bad and unparliamentarily language, Acharya asserted his right to question the head of the university.
He maintained that his 'glorified clerk' remark against the VC was not personal but it only referred to his responsibility as a public servant.
"Isn't he a public servant? What's wrong if I referred to him that way?" he asked. As for calling the senior most dean names, Acharya claimed he had been 'misunderstood'.
Acharya will not be invited to the subsequent meetings of the Syndicate if he fails to apologise. But he says he has not received any show cause notice. He would 'answer appropriately' once he got it, he said.