DU Registrar shifted out 'over FYUP'

Union govt cancels her deputation extension

Delhi University Registrar Alka Sharma has been shifted out of the university by the Union government, apparently over her role in implementation of now scrapped four-year undergraduate programme.

Sharma was on deputation for about seven and a half years, out of which four and a half years have been in DU itself. She joined the university as finance officer in 2006.“The appointments committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal for cancelling the extended period of deputation and premature repatriation of Ms Alka Sharma, IDAS (88), Registrar, University of Delhi (a non-central staffing scheme post) to her cadre, i.e. the Ministry of Defence,” said the Department of Personnel and Training in a letter issued on Wednesday. 

The university sources said a similar letter arrived on Friday morning from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), directing the university to cancel the extension of her deputation with immediate effect. 

Sharma had got an extension on her deputation beyond the maximum permissible period of seven years. Her term had expired on January 21, 2014, according to a Right to Information report. 

Sources said that her HRD secretary Ashok Thakur had pushed for her extension. However, the anti-FYUP campaigners welcomed the government’s decision to recall her.

“Her tenure was marked by extreme high-handedness, arrogance and extra-constitutional authority,” said Delhi University Teachers’ Association president Nandita Narain. 

“Now that some relief has come with the imminent departure of the Registrar, the University community looks forward to the early departure of the Vice Chancellor,” she added, accusing him of misgovernance.

After the rollback of the controversial programme, speculations about their removal were rife. The teacher body had earlier questioned their role in its “white paper” on alleged financial, academic and administrative irregularities committed by the DU administration.

According to the university’s statues, the Registrar is appointed by the Executive Council. She is also the ex officio Secretary of the DU Court, the Executive Council, the Academic Council, the Finance Committee and the Faculties, but is not deemed to be a member of any of these authorities.