BENGALURU: In a big relief to guest lectures in University of Mysore (UoM), the Karnataka High Court directed the varsity to regularise their services within 6 months. The High Court said, “The varsity is guilty of indulging in the pernicious practice of appointing on a temporary basis when there are vacant sanctioned posts and exploiting persons such as the petitioners, paying them less than half the salary paid to a regular employee. It is guilty of non-compliance of directions of the apex court. Therefore, the varsity is required to formulate a new scheme or regularisation rules to comply with the directions of apex court in Umadevi’s case.”
Hearing the petitions filed by the faculty members, Justice R Devdas directed UoM to regularise the services of the petitioners and all people who were appointed under Section 51B of the Karnataka State Universities Act, and have put in 10 years or more or work. The petitions were filed by Dr M Kantharaju, assistant professor, Department of Christianity, and 58 other guest lecturers in UoM and colleges associated with it.
They moved the court seeking directions to the state and UoM to extend the benefit of University of Mysore (Absorption, Regularisation of Temporary Full Time/Part Time Lecturers) Statutes 2004. Pointing out the arguments of the varsity that part-time lecturers were free to engage themselves elsewhere, the court said such argument cannot be accepted since the university has secured an undertaking order that the appointee shall not engage with any other institution.