11.8.13

Gujarat University vice-chancellor asked to resign

TOI News AHMEDABAD: The state government on Thursday asked Gujarat University (GU) vice-chancellor (VC) Adesh Pal to resign.

Pal, who has been at the centre of numerous controversies during his stint as GU VC, met chief minister Narendra Modi at the CM's official residence on Thursday. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Pal said: "I am resigning from the post of the vice-chancellor on health grounds. I have not been asked to step down. I am resigning due to health reasons." Acting VC Mukul Shah will now hold the charge as VC.

Earlier in the day, GU campus and the state education department were rife with rumours that Pal had been asked to submit his resignation. Sources in the state department said that the decision to sack Pal was taken at a meeting held on Wednesday evening. The meeting was attended by state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, revenue minister Anandi Patel and higher education minister Vasu Trivedi.

On Thursday, Pal spent an hour on the GU campus huddled with his aides. He later left for Gandhinagar to meet the chief minister. In between, when journalists asked Pal to comment on rumours of his resignation, he shot back: "I am not answerable to you. I will not answer your questions." As the news of his sacking spread, student leaders from both the Congress and the BJP descended upon the campus and shouted slogans against Pal.

When contacted, education minister Chudasama said that as he was in Kutch, he did not know whether Pal had resigned or not.

Pal is the first VC in the state in the last 15 years to be asked by the state government to resign.

Pal was the head of English department of Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University when he was appointed GU VC on September 1, 2012. He was believed to be close to the chief minister.

However, he seemed to attract controversy right from the beginning of his tenure as VC. Soon after his appointment, the Congress launched a direct attack against him for being the first VC with a liquor permit. Pal later surrendered his permit.

The frontal attack on Pal was suspended when Congress leader Narhari Amin himself joined the BJP. However, Pal was accused of highhandedness in administrative and academic matters in the GU. He was blamed of taking majority decisions without consulting the university's committees and bodies. This earned him few friends in the GU and state government.

Swimming in drought

The VC ran into trouble with the state government when he ordered the construction of a swimming pool at his residence at a time when Gujarat was reeling under severe drought conditions. The state government reprimanded him and suspended the construction work.

Decentralization

Pal decentralized admissions to BCom, BA, BCA and BEd courses without consulting the admissions committee. The state government again intervened and reversed the decision in order to preserve the interest of students.

Last straw

The last straw which reportedly prompted the state government to finally ask Pal to put in his papers was his decision to grant permission to three self-financed colleges to run five-year integrated courses without consulting or informing the state government. Once again, he was subject to reproof, but tension escalated when Pal refused to cancel the MoUs despite the government asking him to revoke the decision.
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