Tezpur University Faces Legal Scrutiny Over Deputy Registrar Recruitment

Tezpur University is embroiled in a legal and administrative controversy after allegations emerged of procedural lapses in the selection process for the post of Deputy Registrar, for which interviews were conducted in September 2024.

The dispute surfaced when Dr Upakul Sarmah, a candidate for the post, filed Writ Petition WP(C) 6620/2024 in the Gauhati High Court, claiming that the recruitment process violated the University’s own Ordinance No. 33 and was fundamentally unlawful.

According to the petition, the University’s advertisement clearly stated that the recruitment would adhere to Ordinance 33, which requires that a panel of experts must first be approved by the Board of Management (BoM) before the Vice-Chancellor can nominate two experts to constitute the interview board.

However, the petition alleges that no such panel was approved by the BoM. Instead, the then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Shambhu Nath Singh, reportedly nominated two experts unilaterally, bypassing the statutory procedure. The petition contends that this action undermined the legality of the entire Selection Committee.

Complicating the matter further, the petition raises questions about the role of the then Finance Officer, Dr Braja Bandhu Mishra, who was reportedly ratified as a “special invitee” under the Woman/ST/SC/OBC/Minority category, despite not belonging to any of these reserved groups. Ordinance 33 does not provide for the Finance Officer to be included in the committee in this manner. Yet, Dr Mishra participated fully in the selection process, a move described in the petition as a serious procedural violation.

The petition also alleges that Dr Mishra and Professor Singh collaborated to influence the recruitment in favour of the candidate who was eventually selected for the Deputy Registrar post.

The controversy intensified when Professor Singh left the University campus abruptly on September 22, followed by the resignation of Dr Mishra, who has since taken up a position at Sikkim University. The Deputy Registrar appointed through the allegedly flawed process also resigned, citing personal reasons.

With multiple senior officials exiting in quick succession and the recruitment process under High Court scrutiny, Tezpur University is now facing a crisis of credibility, raising concerns about administrative transparency and adherence to statutory procedures.

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