Opposing the proposed amendment in the institution’s 102-year-old constitution, the recording secretary of the St Stephen’s college’s Governing Body (GB) resigned from his post.
The GB meeting took place despite eight members abstaining. Sources said the GB recording secretary and HOD, Economic Department, Sanjeev Garewal resigned from the post on Monday morning.
According to the constitution, the Supreme Council (SC) and the GB of the College shall have authority to cancel, vary or amend the rules affecting their respective functions, provided this is done at two special meetings of these bodies, called for the purpose, at which at least two-thirds of the members will be present, and a two-thirds majority is obtained.
These special meetings must be separated by at least three months.
However, out of 18 members, only ten of them were present during the meeting resulting in a truncated GB.
Principal’s nominee Justice Manmohan Sareen and Delhi University’s nominees JP Sharma and Prakash Narain too abstained from the meeting.
While out of four teachers’ representatives in the GB there are only two at present and they too abstained, leaving the meeting short of quorum.
However, Thampu as well as the remaining GB members remained tight-lipped about what transpired in the meeting. Thampu, who is retiring in February next year, has come up with a draft amendment in which he has proposed that the principal be empowered to take disciplinary action against students or staff irrespective of the Governing Body’s opinion.
He has also called for giving a major say to the Church of North India (CNI) in the functioning of the college, handing over the powers to appoint faculty and admissions to its Supreme Council (SC) and recasting the composition of the Governing Body (GB).
The amendment also proposes to replace St Stephen’s College Trust, which currently runs the college, with a St Stephen’s Educational Society that will have the power to establish Stephen’s-like private institutions across the country.
While St Stephen’s faculty as well as the staff association have outrightly rejected the proposed amendments and urged the GB to delay the process if any, till the time Thampu retires, the members of CNI have come out in support saying the amendment will be in benefit of the students and the institution.
The faculty members have also raised concerns that St Stephen’s has not held any consultations with Delhi University and the University Grants Commission (UGC).
According to DU statutes, any such move without consultation with the varsity’s Executive Council (EC) is in violation of the rules and might result in derecognition of the college.
Further, it may also result in the prestigious college losing funds from the UGC, which currently provides 95 per cent funding to the institution, with the remaining coming from the CNI-controlled St Stephen’s Trust.