DU to reply on plea against empanelment of part-time lecturers

The Delhi High Court has directed Delhi University to respond to a petition alleging "arbitrary" empanelment of ineligible candidates for the post of part time lecturers in the Law faculty here.
Justice V Kameshwar Rao issued notice to the university while asking it to file affidavit on a plea challenging the June 6 advertisement issued by DU to the extent of prescribing essential qualifications for empanelment of guest-teachers in the Law faculty.
The court notice was issued on a plea filed by a lawyer, who alleged that the violation on the part of the university has led to considerable deterioration in the standard of legal education in the premier institution.

The court has now fixed the matter for further hearing on August 21.
In his plea, advocate Jamshed Ansari said that "Ordinance XIII-B prescribes essential qualification for part-time lecturers in Law includes at least Bachelor's degree in Law with not less than 50 per cent or equivalent grade point average and not less than five years of actual practice as a lawyer at the high court level."
"But the respondent allowed applications from candidates who need not have at least five years of actual practice," the plea said, adding that the university was "disobeying" the direction under the law.

It said that the "ineligible candidates are appointed as guest faculty at the whims and fancies of professors in-charge every four months".

The advocate said that being an ex-guest faculty, he was more eligible to be shortlisted.
"The disobedience of Ordinance XIII-B by the University of Delhi has led to considerable deterioration in the standard of legal education in the premier institution," the plea said.