HC seeks reply from PU VC over UILS appointment

Chandigarh: A debate erupted during a syndicate meeting regarding the appointment of chairperson of the University of Legal Studies (UILS), PU, exposing divergent views on the policies that guide the university. The Punjab and Haryana high court has demanded a reply from Panjab University and its vice-chancellor by July 17, pending proceedings in the high court. The controversy stems from the appointment of Professor Sarabjit Kaur as the director on May 31, despite lacking any teaching experience in law. Her colleague, Shruti Bedi, argued that the Bar Council of India's Rules of Legal Education, 2008, clearly states that a director of a legal studies institute should have at least 15 years of teaching law experience. This is the first time a political science background professor has been made the director of UILS.Syndicate member Dinesh Kumar clarified that PU follows the university calendar, and it does not hold any specific post for a director or chairperson in any department, nor do individuals receive additional benefits. Regardless of the subject he or she is teaching, this is a duty that is given to a person depending on their level of seniority and the principle of rotation. According to a senior university official, because the BA/BCom LLB programme covers everything from political science to law, hiring of directors from diverse disciplines, such as political science, is permitted under university law. However, speaking anonymously, an official mentioned that the director was previously appointed as per the bar council of India rules, and these situations may lead to clashes between the university's rules and the BCI's regulations. The official also highlighted that similar cases occur in other departments, such as UIET, where the director does not have an engineering background. Rule 2.1. (i) (a) of the university calendar states, "The chairperson/head of a department shall be designated, by rotation, from amongst the Professors in the department appointed by way of direct recruitment or by way of promotion or by any other method approved by the Senate, according to a length of service as such in the Panjab University, irrespective of the method of appointment." Previously, some departments at the university followed a rotation-based principle for appointing chairpersons and directors, while others, like UIET and UILS, did not.