New Delhi: Delhi University’s Hindu College has issued show-cause notices to two office-bearers of the Hindu College Staff Association (HCSA) over statements linked to a no-confidence motion against principal Anju Srivastava, alleging that their actions had “tarnished the institutional standing and image” of the college.The teachers have been given seven working days to respond, failing which the governing body said it would presume they concur with the charges and initiate disciplinary action.In a notice issued Wednesday to HCSA president Ratan Lal, the governing body cited his Aug 18 statement in which he had “unequivocally” condemned the principal and alleged that she had played a “dubious role”, “tricked, misled and pressurised” statutory bodies, and completed admissions through “gross violations of the procedures, rule violations and possible corrupt practices”.The notice also accused Lal of repeating the allegations before external agencies, including the media, despite DU stating that admissions were based on lists issued by it and that discrepancies resulted from an algorithmic glitch. It said his actions had “dishonoured the college” and violated the prescribed code of conduct and the Code of Professional Ethics.A separate notice was issued to HCSA secretary PK Vijayan, an associate professor in the English department, over an Aug 21 email allegedly containing “derogatory” and “offensive” remarks about fellow faculty members.The notices come weeks after the staff association passed a no-confidence motion against Srivastava over alleged irregularities in admissions under the Sports and ECA quotas. The association questioned the allocation of 32 of 48 Sports/ECA seats to BCom (Hons) and BA (Hons) Political Science.The college has also witnessed protests since Sept 14 by HCSA members and a section of students over alleged corruption, privatisation and governance issues.Srivastava told TOI the notices were unrelated to the ongoing protests and had been issued over statements that, according to the governing body, had defamed the college.Vijayan, however, said the two teachers were being targeted for signing the no-confidence motion. “There were 80 signatories and not a single dissent. It reflected the collective concern of the staff association. By issuing show-cause notices, they are targeting us for voicing those concerns,” he said.
