University of Pune ordered to cough up Rs2.25 lakh

A Pune court recently ordered Ashok Kolaskar, former vice-chancellor of the University of Pune, and its former registrar, DD Deshumkh, to pay interest to a former top official of the varsity at 10% per annum on his pension and gratuity.

The amounts have been paid for the period from May 1, 2005, to October 31, 2006. The aggrieved former deputy registrar of academic section of the UoP, Madhav Khanwelkar, had filed a complaint against the university and the two former UoP officials for recovery of Rs2.25 lakh as interest of delayed payment of arrears of pension and gratuity at 12% per annum and Rs2 lakh for mental harassment.

According to the judgment, Khanwelkar had worked with the UoP for more than 36 years and retired on October 31, 2004, after attaining the age of superannuation, 58 years. While retiring, he held the post of deputy registrar and held charge of the academic section. During his stint as deputy registrar, Khanwelkar took medical leave for around a year.

Kolaskar and Deshmukh passed orders reverting his posting from deputy registrar to assistant registrar after Khanwelkar proceeded on leave preparatory to retirement, allegedly without sanction from the authorities.

Khanwelkar said, “Before going on leave I had taken prior sanction for leave but despite that they demoted me.”

He challenged the UoP order reverting him to assistant registrar’s post before the University and College Tribunal (UCT), which quashed and set aside the order on June 20, 2005. An appeal by the UoP was also dismissed.

The university then moved the Bombay high court. “But after Kolaskar’s retirement in February 2006, the then acting VC, Ratnakar Gaikwad, got the case withdrawn from the Bombay high court on July 18, 2006,” he said.

However, the court rejected his demand for Rs2 lakh as compensation on the grounds that the two former officers cannot be held responsible for the delay in payment as they were discharging their duties as statutory officers.