An order of the Directorate of Collegiate Education (DCE) reverting Dr Nausheen Dawood from the post of principal of SIET college in Teynampet to lecturer and to recover `17 lakh from her, said to be the excess amount paid to her, was stayed by the Madras High Court on August 23 last.
Justice D Hariparanthaman granted the relief while passing interim orders on a writ petition from Dawood challenging the order dated July 16 this year of the DCE.
The petitioner said that she was appointed as a lecturer in zoology in the college on June 12, 2006. She was promoted and appointed as principal of the college on June 1, 2009. She claimed that she possessed all necessary qualifications and experience, as prescribed by the University Grants Commission. The DCE also approved the appointment. The University of Madras approved the appointment subject to the outcome of writ petitions relating to some other issue.
While so, after three years, the Principal Accountant General, by a communication dated June 13, 2012, among other things, raised an objection stating that the petitioner had put in only 13 years of service at the time of appointment as principal.
The letter held that an error in counting the past service had resulted in incorrect promotion and regulation of pay at various stages involving an excess payment of `17 lakh to the petitioner till May 2012. Based on this, the DCE issued the impugned order dated July 16 reverting her to the post of lecturer and to pay the excess amount of `17 lakh paid to her. Hence, the present writ petition.
Petitioner contended that no notice or an opportunity of hearing was given to her. Since the UGC and the DCE had approved her appointment, the same could not be reversed now. The order was highly arbitrary, illegal, unconstitutional and null and void and liable to be set aside, petitioner said.