HC dismisses DUTA President's plea against Delhi University

The Delhi High Court has dismissed DUTA President Nandita Narain's plea seeking stay on the Delhi University's move to initiate inquiry against her for allegedly interfering in the functioning of three colleges.
"This writ petition is dismissed," Justice Valmiki J Mehta said, holding that at the stage of a preliminary fact-finding inquiry, there is no locus standi in an employee to challenge the same.
The court said, "No rights or liabilities accrue to any of the parties on the basis of preliminary fact-finding inquiry and which are only a pre-cursor to the holding, if any, of regular disciplinary proceedings and only which authorities order can create right on liability."

The court's judgement came on the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) President's plea, who had sought setting aside of the October 2015 notice of the varsity, constituting a fact-finding committee to examine issues against her.
Narain's counsel had earlier submitted that "arbitrary and illegal" inquiry proceedings were initiated against her by the varsity at the behest of former Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh and then St Stephens Principal Valson Thampu, of whom Narain has been a vocal critic.
Earlier, the high court had restrained Delhi University from taking any action against Narain, who has sought a stay on the move to initiate inquiry proceedings against her for allegedly interfering in the functioning of the colleges.

Narain, who was to appear before a fact-finding committee constituted by the university to examine the complaints against her, kept away from the meeting and moved the court on October 20, 2015.
She had been at loggerheads with Singh and Thampu and led a campaign demanding their removal from office over allegations of financial and administrative irregularities.