Details sought from DU's V-C on action taken against 'irregularities' at Satyawati College

The Vice-President's Secretariat has sought information from Delhi University's vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi about the action taken in a matter pertaining to "administrative and financial malfunctioning" at the varsity's Satyawati College.

An email was sent by a Delhi High Court lawyer Ankit Kakkar to the Vice-President's Secretariat regarding the matter. The email was forwarded to the varsity by the Vice-President's Secretariat on July 5.

"Action taken may kindly be communicated to the petitioner under intimation to this Secretariat," the letter stated.

However, Satyawati College Principal Manjula Das said the issue was being raised with "vested interests" and termed the allegations as baseless.

According to the email written by Kakkar, several high-powered committees were formed to probe "administrative and financial malfunctioning" in the college whereas no appropriate action was taken on the reports submitted by them.

Kakkar said the varsity's vice-chancellor had appointed a high-powered committee to look into the "financial violations" at the college as found in the CAG report.

He said the college's Governing Body had also appointed a committee to look into the appointments of 20 members of non-teaching staff which were done without following due process.

The email also alleged that appointment of a student as a full-time employee was done by the present principal.

When the chairman of the Governing Body pointed it out to the principal, she made the employee resign after he had drawn a salary for two years, the email claimed.

In his email, Kakkar urged the Vice President's Secretariat to direct the varsity's vice- chancellor to act on the report of the high-powered committee appointed by the V-C.

Sources claimed that the high-powered committee had submitted its report around two to three months ago to the vice-chancellor and suggested that "there are lots of issues which need to be investigated".

It had recommended that a regular inquiry committee should be constituted and during the time the inquiry is conducted, the principal should be sent on leave, according to the sources.

They said the committee was formed after one of the members of the Governing Body had complained that the elections to the GB were held in a wrong manner and the principal had sanctioned some funds and made some appointments without due process.

When contacted the college principal, she dismissed the allegations and said, "The CAG report had found some papers incomplete and suggested that we rectify them. There were no financial or administrative irregularities found. There was no committee formed to investigate things. There are some people inside the college doing this with vested interests," she said.