UP Governor removes Ambedkar University vice chancellor

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has relieved the vice-chancellor of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra of his duties and ordered a probe into allegations of financial and administrative irregularities against him.

The vice chancellor, Prof Ashok Kumar Mittal, has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect till the completion of the inquiry.

The Governor has constituted a three-member probe committee headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Ranjana Pandey, while the Lucknow University vice-chancellor Prof Alok Kumar Rai has been given the additional charge of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University.

The other members of the probe committee are Prof V.K. Pathak, vice-chancellor of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, and Prof Surendra Dubey, vice chancellor of Siddharth University, Kapilvastu.

The committee will submit its report within a month.

In a release, Mahesh Gupta, additional chief secretary to the Governor, stated that Prof Mittal has been accused of indiscipline, financial and administrative anomalies.

During the review meetings by the Governor from May 31 to June 2, Prof Mittal was found unprepared on the reference points raised by the Chancellor. The replies given by him during the review meetings were found unsatisfactory, Gupta said.

The probe will be done into the appointments made by bypassing the rules, ignoring objections raised in the audit, inadequate action on cases pending in the high court, failure to provide degrees to students on time, and giving unnecessary overtime honorarium to employees.

All of these are indicative of the vice chancellor's lax and indifferent behaviour as the head of an institution, the note from Raj Bhawan said.