The controversial proposal of amending St Stephen’s college 102-year-old constitution was approved by its Governing Body (GB) in a day-long meeting held on Monday, with 10 out of 18 members present.
Maintaining complete secrecy and avoiding media interactions, principal of the college Valson Thampu shared the news on his Facebook timeline. Also, the college website carried the report stating that the “proposal” for amendments was approved in the GB meeting.
The meeting was boycotted by four teacher representatives, two DU representatives, principal’s nominee Justice Manmohan Sarin and the GB’s Recording Secretary Sanjeev Garewal who resigned from the post in protest against the amendment move.
As per the constitution which was set up after three decades of the formation of the college in 1881, no amendment can be passed without the two-thirds of the members being present, and a two-thirds majority being obtained. However, the college proceeded with the meeting despite being short of “quorum”.
Thampu remained tight-lipped for a day and finally announced the development of the meeting on Tuesday.
He termed the abstention of teachers and DU representatives from the meeting as “a spirit of intolerance” and further called a couple of teachers as “pseudo-activists”.
However, he did not clear whether the amendment draft was passed as the proposed one or with certain changes. The passed draft will be taken up in another GB meeting scheduled three months later before being notified as the amended constitution.
“The marathon exercise involved the exhilarating task of harmonising a variety of regulatory and empowering provisions and frameworks. The issues raised through a representation by faculty members were given due and careful consideration. The GB found several of their observations valuable and the final outcome is richer on that count,” read the statement.
The statement made no mention of the abstention of Justice Manmohan Sarin neither on the resignation of the Recording Secretary. “Regrettably, though the teacher representatives and the two newly-appointed University representatives chose to absent themselves. It might well be the case that they mistook “proposals” for amendments as “amendments”. In a democratic culture, you don’t boycott “proposals,” except in a spirit of intolerance which is being decried now nationally,” added Thampu who is also the Member-Secretary of the GB.
According to the proposed draft amendment, the principal would be empowered to take disciplinary action against students or staff irrespective of the GB’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 Thampu retires in February next year, 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 de-recognition 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.