DU VC panel illegal: HC

The High Court yesterday declared illegal the three-member panel elected by the Dhaka University senate on July 29, and directed the DU authorities to finish the process for constituting a full-fledged senate in six months to elect the panel for appointing its new vice chancellor.

It also declared illegal the notice issued by DU authorities for holding its senate's special general meeting on July 29 to elect the panel.

The bench of Justice Zinat Ara and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo came up with the verdict after holding a final hearing on a writ petition filed challenging the legality of the notice issued by the DU registrar on July 16.

Sixteen teachers and registered DU graduates filed the petition with the HC in July saying that there is no full-fledged DU senate at this moment although a 105-member full-fledged senate has to be formed through nomination and election.

Petitioners' lawyer Barrister Mustafizur Rahman Khan told The Daily Star that Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman, who has been appointed as the acting VC by the president, can discharge his duties until a new VC is appointed.

Prof Akhtaruzzaman will execute the HC directives, he added.

Barrister Mustafizur said the HC delivered the verdict on the ground that there was no representative from around 40,000 registered DU graduates in its senate although 25 such representatives along with others are supposed to be present there under Article 20(1) of the Dhaka University Order 1973.

Under the Dhaka University Order 1973, the VC shall be appointed by the chancellor for a period of four years from a panel of three teachers. He or she shall be nominated by the university senate, and be eligible for re-appointment for a second term.

President Abdul Hamid on September 4 appointed Prof Akhtaruzzaman as acting VC of DU.

The term of Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, elected VC on August 25, 2013, ended on August 24 this year. Earlier, on January 17, 2009, he had assumed the office as 27th VC on a temporary appointment.

A three-member VC panel, including Prof Arefin Siddique, was formed at the senate meeting on July 29.

Earlier on July 24 following the same writ petition, the HC stayed the process of holding the senate meeting on July 29 and issued a rule over its legality.

On July 27, the SC chamber judge stayed the HC order following a writ petition filed by DU authorities, allowing them to hold the meeting on July 29 and forwarded the matter to its full bench.