HC orders recovery of teacher's salary

The Madras High Court has ordered the Joint Director of Collegiate Education (Finance) and the JD of Collegiate Education, Madurai Region, to recover the salary of a teacher, who was appointed as Assistant Professor in a Minority college in Madurai district without proper qualification as per UGC norms.
Justice S.Vaidhyanathan of the court's Madurai bench, dismissing the petition filed by the teacher A.Michael Raj, who was appointed as assistant professor at Arul Andar college, refused to quash the stop payment of salary order,as the teacher did not fulfil the qualification as per UGC norms.
The petitioner submitted he was appointed after due approval for the posts, but the registrar of Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) did not approve his qualification.

The MKU contended that the petitioner should have qualified for the appointment by scoring 55 per cent mark in M.Com (after his Bcom in direct study),which he did not. The subsequent completion of M.Com in cooperative from Annamalai university by correspondence simultaneously while doing PHd was not an approved qualification as per the UGC norms,counsel for MKU said.
The judge said teachers, who performed duties of shaping the future generation should be beyond any controversy and there should be no compromise on their qualification.
"There should be good academic record and requisite qualification.The teacher should be able to provide best education,for that he should be very well qualified," the judge said.

As per the UGC norms, he should have got requisite percentage in M.Com in direct stream, the judge said, dismissing the petitioner's plea. The judge directed the Joint Director (finance) and JD of collegiate education, Madurai region, to recover the salary given to the petitioner since his appointment from the college.