Dhumal demands HP University Vice Chancellor's dismissal

Shimla, Aug 12 (UNI) Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister P K Dhumal today demanded HP University Vice Chancellor's dismissal after the Supreme Court up held the HP High Court's verdict of re-examination of the HP Combined Pre-Medical Test (HPCPMT).

''The University's Vice Chancellor should have been dismissed soon after the High Court's decision on the issue, which was later challenged in the Supreme Court by a few people.

However, the court's yesterday's decision has proved widespread irregularities in the examination following which the Vice Chancellor should be sacked,'' he said in a party release here.

Mr Dhumal was reacting to the apex court's decision wherein it had upheld the state high court's decision of ordering a re-examination of the PMT entrance test after a three-member committee, appointed by it, indicated widespread irregularities in the test.

He said ever since the state government took office three and a half years ago, it had spent much of its time in shielding the corrupt, besides keeping the various scams away from the public gaze.

Observing that several scams had been public during the tenure of the present state government, he said while the government was unsuccessfully trying to hide a scam, another soon surfaced much to its embarrassment.

The former chief minister said instead of ordering an impartial inquiry into the irregularities in the test, the state government constituted a single man inquiry committee to probe charges of irregularities in the test.

However, after the committee failed in arriving at the truth, people approached the high court, which constituted a three-member committee to probe the charges, he said.

He said now with the apex court too upholding the high court's decision, the HP University Vice Chancellor should be sacked for his failure to prevent irregularities in the examination.

Mr Dhumal said 10 students from a single area making it to the HPCPMT merit list had proved beyond doubt irregularities in the test, adding a few of them had also been awarded compartment in the ten plus two standard.

He accused the state government of shielding the corrupt in the case instead of taking action against them.

UNI AS HS SP HT1912