Directorate of Higher Education issues show cause notice against Cachar College principal, warns him of strict disciplinary action

This is a Big breaking in the Cachar College Principal v/s Professor fiasco. The Directorate of Higher Education of Assam has issued a “show cause” notice against Dr Siddhartha Sankar Nath, the principal of Cachar College. The letter addressed to Nath from the Director of Higher Education has asked him to present cause within 10 days from the date of receipt of the notice as to why no disciplinary actions should not be taken against him. The notice mentioned seven points of irregularities, which invited the Directorate to take this stringent action.

The notice read, “You are hereby asked to show cause within ten days from the date of receipt of this notice as to why disciplinary action shall not be taken against you as per provisions of Assam Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 1964 for the following Irregularities committed by you as the Principal, Cachar College, Silchar”. The first point of irregularities mentioned in the notice was holding of an irregular meeting of the Governing Body on May 30, 2022. In this regard, the notice read, “You held an irregular meeting of the Governing body on 30-05-2022 with twenty-nine members including two Grade-II non-sanctioned staff in total violation of Rule 3 of Assam Provincialised College Management Rules 2001 (as amended up-to-date) which provides for a maximum of thirteen members in the GB. (Annexure-1)”.

The second irregularity mentioned in the letter was, “insubordination towards appointing authority”. This is in regard to, “not acting upon the letter No.DHE/CE/Misc/157/2020/98 dated 08-09-2022 issued to you by the DHE regarding Ms. Nayana Goswami, Assistant Professor, Cachar College. (Annexure-2)”. The letter also addressed the issue of threatening an Assitant Professor of the college to hold her salary increment and said, “You have intimidated Ms Nayana Goswami, Assistant Professor, Cachar College through Resolution No. 8 in the irregular GB meeting dated 30-05-2022 by threatening to held up her salary and annual increment, and ex parte dropping her from all confidential works and committees which will effectively stall all her career advancements. (Annexure-3)”.

On August 31, another Assistant Professor of the college went on a sit-in protest for his alleged denied entry into the college by the Principal. This issue too found mentioned in the show cause letter. The notice addressed to the principal also asked him to show cause behind, “You have violated section 353 of IPC by illegally preventing a government/public servant Dr. Ananda Chandra Ghosh, Assistant Professor in political science of your college from discharge of his duties as a teacher, by forcefully denying him entry into college premises for more than one year. You have also held up his salary for the months of January and February, 2022 without any authorisation from the higher authorities. (Annexure-4)”.

Another point mentioned in the show cause letter was, “holding up the CAS promotions of the teachers for months after receiving their applications and have not sent proposals for fixation of pay months after promotions are notified by the DHE”. It also asked him to show the cause behind the appointment of “several employees in non-sanctioned categories against non-existent posts”, where these employees were also receiving a salary at “frivolous rates without having any duly approved remuneration structure”.

The point in the show cause notice was the infamous appointment of Kanchan Kumar Nath, “reportedly a relative” of the Principal. About Kanchan Nath’s appointment, the notice said, “brought from outside of Assam and appointed by you in a non-existent and non-sanctioned post of Office Assistant violating the provisions of the Govt OM quoted above. He is being allowed by you to clear bills and vouchers amounting to high amounts.”

The letter asked him to give substantive replies to the above charges within ten days, failing which strict disciplinary action will be taken against the Principal, Siddhartha Sankar Nath. This development has come after a series of protests by the Assam College Teachers’ Association and the professors of the college.