Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Sept 18: As Jammu University gives succor to a faculty member, who is guilty of sexual harassment on the campus and allegedly mulls similar relaxation to another accused of the alike offence, Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) in JU has called an emergency meeting tomorrow.
The scheduled meeting is likely to be stormy as the CASH members will deliberate on the `suggestions’ from within Jammu University with regard to the punishment recommended against Dr Shubhnandan Singh Jamwal, an Assistant Professor in the Computer Sciences Department, who has been held guilty of sexual harassment of his student.
CASH had recommended a life-long ban on Dr Shubhnandan Jamwal from holding of any administrative position in the University and the same was also approved by the Vice-Chancellor last month but a formal order in this regard has not yet been issued as alleged attempts are being made to get the punishment curtailed by making it time bound, reliable sources told the Excelsior.
Further, sources added, the recent nomination of Prof Kulwant Singh as Dean of the Law Department after relaxing punishment to him in a sexual harassment case, is also likely to be discussed in the CASH meeting as the Jammu University suo moto took legal advise for favouring the guilty of heinous crime.
The recent nomination of Prof Kulwant Singh as the Dean Law, vide order number F. Acd/II/17/10064-10193, dated 10-09-2017, who had been debarred from holding any administrative position in the Department of Law as well as the JU Law School after he was held guilty of sexual harassment of a female colleague in 2012, has raised many eye brows.
Eagerness for favouring the guilty of sexual harassment could be gauged from the fact that a committee was constituted by the Vice-Chancellor in July last to review his case and forward the same for legal opinion.
Even as the committee did not make any recommendation for legal opinion and clearly said that it was unable to go against the CASH guidelines while penalty was as per Service Rules, sources said that the JU administration suo moto took legal advise of the Law Secretary and redefined the ban time bound for five years only thus paving way for nomination of Prof Kulwant Singh as Dean of the Law Department.
Similarly, sources alleged, attempts are also being made by the University administration to review the recommendation of life-long ban on Dr Shubhnandan and make it to time bound for five years. Pressure tactics are allegedly being adopted in this regard in the guise of suggestions and sources said that some senior faculty members as well as officers are trying to influence the decision in favour of the guilty.
Keeping in view of the alleged attempts to shield the guilty of heinous crime on the campus, sources said that the Committee Against Sexual Harassment is all set to lock horns with the University administration and scheduled emergency meeting tomorrow is likely to be stormy.
Despite repeated attempts, convener of the CASH, Prof Meena Sharma could not be contacted for her comments.
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