NEW DELHI: The University of Delhi asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to intervene in the matter related to the appointment of professor John Varghese as principal of St Stephen’s College, stating that his extension is ‘ultra vires’ of the provisions of the commission’s act. The Assitant registrar of the University wrote a letter to the secretary of the UGC mentioning that the varsity is “constrained” from recognising Varghese as principal of the college ever since his five-year term ended last year in February.
“The intervention of the UGC is very kindly solicited to preclude any act of defilement of UGC regulations by St. Stephen’s College and other colleges as well,’’ the letter read. In March 2016, Varghese was appointed as the principal of St. Stephen College for the five years tenure following which his tenure was extended by the Supreme Council of the college. Earlier, before the admission process, the University and Varghese have been at the loggerheads over the admission policy for several months.
In the letter, the university stated that the college has been repeatedly justifying the reappointment of Varghese by citing the resolutions of its Supreme Council. The University in August wrote to St Stephen’s chairman Prem Chand Singh, declaring the reappointment of Varghese as ‘’null and void’’.