PUCL demands investigation

Ahmedabad, Jun 8 (UNI) People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), an organisation committed to rule of law and acts against misuse of office, today demanded that Governor Naval Kishore Sharma initiate investigation into the gross misuse of office by the Gujarat University Vice Chancellor (VC) while appointing his wife as a lecturer.

PUCL (Gujarat) Secretary Gautam Thaker, in a memorandum submitted to Mr Sharma, who is also the Chancellor of Gujarat University, demanded that he should appoint a competent investigating officer to bring out misuse of office by the VC Dr Parimal Trivedi in appointing his wife as a lecturer in the post graduate department of education.

He said that acting on a petition filed by Art faculty Dean Dr Pradeep Prajapati against the selection of spouse of Trivedi Neelam Bhatt as a lecturer was stayed by the vacation judge of the Gujarat High Court.

Mr Thaker alleged ''there are many more skeletons in the cupboard of the present VC''. The act committed by Dr Trivedi is misuse of office for personal profit and hence your intervention is required.'' Prajapati stated in the petition before Gujarat High Court that the VC and the registrar have misused their powers and have abused the process of law.

Trivedi's wife's qualifications fell short as required to become a lecturer of the university. Skirting mandatory requirements, she was selected by an interview panel chaired by her husband, which did not even have the necessary approval from the university's Academic Council.

UNI