High court appoints former CS Jarnail Singh as MU administrator

Pothashang News Service: Imphal, October 11, 2018: High court of Manipur has today appointed former chief secretary of Manipur Jarnail Singh as administrator who is fully empowered to discharge the functions of the vice-chancellor as provided under the Manipur University Act, 2005.

His primary duty and responsibility is to bring normalcy in Manipur University said the court order issued today by Justice N. Kotiswar Singh and Justice Kh. Nobin Singh.

Jarnail Singh had also served as joint secretary to the Office of the Prime Minister. He was awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration for the year 2007-08, as the administrator.

The court acted following two separate PILs filed by a journalist and a social activist seeking an order from the court for bringing an amicable solution over the varsity crisis.

“This court had expressed serious concern on the continuing stalemate and violence in the university which is jeopardising the interest of the students and had cautioned the respondent authorities and all the stakeholders that in absence of any resolution of the crisis and in absence of any practical suggestions to resolve the crises, this court may be compelled to intervene. This expectation of the court has been belied. The easiest way out is to allow the problem to fester and wait for miracle to happen to resolve the crises or to intervene in the matter which option we are now inclined to adopt,” said the court’s order.

The court order said Jarnail Singh is fully authorised to choose and appoint any competent person as in-charge registrar of the university and he will be at liberty to appoint any other person(s) to aid, assist and advise him in discharge of the functions of the vice chancellor.

So long as the administrator is functioning the appointment of K. Yugindro Singh as the pro vice-chancellor by Prof. Adya Prasad Pandey (suspended vice-chancellor) shall remain suspended. The appointment of Prof. W. Vishwanath Singh to look after the office of the vice-chancellor by Prof. Adya Prasad Pandey shall also remain suspended. The appointments of Shyamkesho Singh and Sh. Dorendrajit Singh as registrar in charges shall also remain suspended, it added.

The Manipur University had been paralysed for 85 days till it was reopened on August 23 which lasted for few days. It was reopened after an enquiry committee, consisting of a retired acting Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court and a former vice-chancellor of Tezpur University to look into various allegations levelled against Pandey by the students and others, began enquiry.

The varsity has returned to deadlock since the day Yugindro came to take charge as pro vice-chancellor on September 20. Police raided the boys’ hostels on the midnight of the same day following which six teachers and nine students of the varsity were arrested.

There have been agitations from various student organisations, civil society organisations beside the varsity community demanding the release of the teachers and students. In the course of agitations members of six students’ organisations had also been arrested.

Yesterday police clashed with agitating students on the varsity campus when a large number of students took out a rally demanding withdrawal of the FIR lodged by Yugindro against the varsity teachers and students.

Police deployed inside the university campus, prevented the rally from reaching the Administration Block  followed by a heated argument between the police and the students.

Police fired tear gas shells and mock bombs to disperse the agitating students. The students retaliated by pelting stones and other hard objects.

The main gate of the university was closed by a combined team of state security forces preventing thoroughfare on the campus.

The boys hostels were also cordoned and conducted a verification drive. The security forces also searched the hostels rooms for the agitating students in the presence wardens.

Altogether 17 students were apprehended yesterday.