Delhi University's North Campus
Dinesh Singh, the Vice Chancellor or top administrator of Delhi University, has a long list of clashes with politicians and the government to show for his nearly-complete five-year tenure. The latest has parliamentarians accusing him of diverting funds meant for OBC students.
The allegations against Mr Singh, 60, are listed in separate
letters by Sitaram Yechury of the Left and Hussain Dalwi of the Congress to Smriti Irani, the Education Minister, who has forwarded them to President Pranab Mukherjee. As the Visitor of University, the President alone has the power to remove the Vice-Chancellor.
In his note, Mr Yechury says Mr Singh's continuance in office is "untenable" and that there is 'an administrative breakdown' in Delhi university.
Ms Irani has not commented on the controversy, but sources in her ministry said they expect action soon against the Vice-Chancellor which would see him leaving office sooner than October, when his term ends. Sources at the presidential palace, Rashtrapati Nhawan, said the President has yet to see the file and complaints.
The Vice-Chancellor did not respond to questions from NDTV.
Mr Singh and the government battled last year over the plans to convert the three-year undergraduate degree at Delhi University to a four-year course, which had been championed by Mr Singh despite opposition from several faculty associations at the nearly 80 colleges that make up Delhi University. The four-year program was finally abandoned.
The HRD office insists that Dinesh Singh's tenure till October is in trouble with the President taking a serious view of the allegations but Rashtrapati Bhawan told NDTV that the President is yet to see the file