New Delhi: The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) on Tuesday appealed to acting vice chancellor P.C. Joshi to review and withdraw the termination of assistant professor G.N. Saibaba.
Delhi University’s Ram Lal Anand College on March 31 terminated the service of Saibaba, who is currently serving life term in Nagpur Central Prison for alleged Maoist links.
Saibaba, an assistant professor of English, was suspended after his arrest by the Maharashtra Police in 2014.
According to a memorandum received by Saibaba’s wife Vasantha on April 1, his services were terminated with immediate effect from the afternoon of March 31.
The DUTA said in a statement that as Saibaba’s appeal against his conviction is pending to be heard in the Bombay high court, the case against him “cannot be regarded as final”.
“We wish to re-iterate that since Saibaba’s appeal before the high court has been admitted and listed for hearing, the matter is sub judice and the original proceedings are continuing, the case against him cannot be regarded as final until all appellate remedies are exhausted. We, therefore, request you once again to review and withdraw any action taken against G.N. Saibaba and not to take any further action against him until his appeal is heard and decided,” it added.
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The DUTA said that the RLA College’s decision to terminate Saibaba’s service “came as a shock” since it had not responded to Vasantha’s reply to a show cause notice served on September 3 last year.
It said that Vasantha had written to RLA College on November 11 that due to COVID lockdown jail visits to Saibaba were “extremely restricted”.
“…as a result of which and also because of his ill-health, no instructions could be taken from him regarding response to the last show-cause notice,” she had written.
The DUTA alleged that Vasantha did not receive a response to this letter from RLA College.
It added that taking the “adverse action” without waiting for a reply to show cause notice was “arbitrary, vindictive, and against the principles of natural justice”.
(PTI)