Appointment rush in HRD continues

NEW DELHI: The model code of conduct and propriety seem to be forgotten words in the HRD ministry that is appointing its chosen ones to plum posts barely a week before the poll results.

On a single day, the ministry approved the appointment of Ved Prakash as vicechairperson of the University Grants Commission and a search committee gave extension of five years to Jamia Milia Islamia vice-chancellor Mushirul Hasan.

On Friday, within minutes of HRD minister Arjun Singh���s approval, Ved Prakash rushed to the UGC office and joined. It has been done flouting directives of the cabinet secretariat. Prakash had lost out in the race to become vice-chancellor of a new central university. One of the persons in the search committee that selected Prakash was Hasan himself.

Ministry sources said: ���The post of vice-chairperson of UGC is more powerful than a VC���s . But Hasan a VC was selecting Prakash. It���s quid pro quo.��� In fact, there has been a major resentment in the ministry against the manner in which VCs of central universities have been made.

A few kilometers away, the search committee to find a vice-chancellor of Jamia Milia Islamia met and decided to give an extension to Mushirul Hasan, the present VC whose term ends in June.

It is not only the propriety that is being questioned but even the brazenness with which Hasan has been reappointed. The search committee was decided by the executive council of the university presided over by Hasan. ���He selected the committee that was all set to give him an extension,��� a source said.

The official pointed out there was a ���fake��� attempt by the ministry to act fair in the composition of the search committee. Earlier, the executive council had selected Abad Ahmad, member of advisory committee for the Centre for Management Studies of Jamia.

The ministry pointed out that it was against the Jamia statute to have someone in the search committee who is connected with the university.