No appointment system in DU’s vice-regal lodge

New Delhi: Delhi University does not have a formal appointment system available in the vice-regal lodge, which houses offices of the top executives of the university. Also, no information regarding the officials working in the vice-regal lodge is maintained or available, as per numerous RTIs responses received from the DU officials.

Law faculty student Mohit Kumar Gupta had filed an RTI query seeking information on the appointment system in DU, following the V-C’s non-acceptance of an invitation to grace the occasion with judges as guest of honour at a launch ceremony of DSLSA and DUCR at Patiala House Court last year.  

He had then submitted a letter of protest to the V-C complaining to him that his office cannot be entered even to meet his PA, neither PA to the registrar nor the PA to the PVC. “No official is designated to allow the visitors to enter the ‘White House’ most appropriately guarded while not giving access to students or even the representative on the directions of the office of the judiciary,” he furiously wrote.  

Mr Gupta said that in response to the RTI that the deputy registrar (VC Office) had rejected the application by stating that there was no such record of appointment system maintained in the office. Even the office of Pro-VC and office of registrar said that there was no formal appointment system in their offices and the appointments are only given as per their availability and schedule.The office did not even provide with the records about the number of appointments given and rejected. Similarly, the Office of Dean of Colleges stated, “The information can be sought personally or telephonically. The appointment is given on the basis of purpose.”

However, responding to the RTI on the name, designation, official email and mobile number of all the officials working in the Vice Regal Lodge, the joint registrar establishment (NT) said, “No such consolidated information in the compiled form is maintained or available and same is not required to be compiled. It would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority.”

“Complete tyranny is perceived by the visitors when they are victimized by restricting access coupled with autocratic non-communication. Abhorrent and thus inaccess to public servants is gross denial of justice at first step” Mr Gupta said.